Defying Expectations
by Stevie Radleigh
Summary: A crossover between one cop show that I love and another cop show that I love. Lindsay Denton is on the hunt for the truth and to find Carly Kirk. What if Carly ends up in Wales and Lindsay has to follow her to get her back What if Lindsay ends up meeting a handsome cop who might just be the man of her dreams. This is the story of how Lindsay Denton gets her job back.
1. Chapter 1

So, this is it. The story you have been waiting years for. As you may be able to tell I haven't felt up to writing this or anything, tbh. Mainly because this is a big story and includes a lot of elements, some which I still haven't figured out yet but we'll see what happens as the story progresses. I'm not usually a multi chapter gal, so this might be crap but I thought I'll try and push through my writing block by forcing myself to write and see how it goes. I do have other ideas in the works so I will be muddling through them as well. Thanks to beckz31 for the story idea (A long time ago) and the best help possible and Cute-little-ali-cat for giving me a new dose of life. I hope I do you both proud and write Lindsay in a semi accurate way. Anyway, here's to the future and possible new chapters on this story. I hope it works out. "This starts in Series 3 Ep 6. Dot has kidnapped Lindsay and the rest is history. Sorry to leave the ending where it is. /p

They both struggled for the gun. Lindsay pushing it as far away from herself as possible. She didn't care if it discharged, if Dot pulled the trigger, as long as it wasn't straight at her then she didn't care. It was a fight for her life. She felt the pressure in her hands as Dot pushed the gun back towards her. She pushed back with her two palms on the barrel of the gun. The gun went off. "The bullet whizzed past her head and smashed into the side window causing it to shatter into pieces. Glass fell down around her as the shrill noise from the gunshot echoed around the car, causing herself and Dot to shrivel in pain. It was hard to concentrate on anything but the sound. Lindsay knew that she would have to leave the car or otherwise she would not survive.

"The gun clattered into the foot well of the car, beside Lindsay's feet. She didn't care for that, all she wanted was out of this vehicle. Her left hand fumbled around for the door handle and it gave away with a click. She threw it open looking for her escape, eager to leave the car, but when she moved to get out, she was contained. Her seat belt, still strapped across her body, was keeping her in. Her right hand quickly found the release button and pressed, the seat belt falling away from her body. She threw herself out of the car with as much might as she could muster, criticizing herself for the few seconds she had wasted. She kept herself as low to the ground as possible, hoping that if Dot found his gun in time that he wouldn't be able to hit his target.

"She left him behind, still scrambling for the gun. She made a run for it as fast as she could with the conditions that she currently faced. One being the fact that a gun went off beside her head in a confined space, the second being the gravel beneath her feet. She made towards the shipping containers in front of her praying that they would grant her cover and better her chanced of staying alive with a man, who now had nothing to lose tracking her, within a maze of storage containers. She ran and ran until she couldn't run anymore. She dropped to the ground, out of breath hoping she was far enough away that he couldn't find her. She could hear him in the distance. His screams getting closer as he followed her, then running. Finally, a car door slam and tyres on gravel as the car traveled off at high speed.

"Then all was quiet again. She let go of a breath she didn't know she had been holding. Patting herself down she looked for the one object she knew she needed. She truly hoped that she hadn't left it in the car with him. As she looked in her pocket, she found it. Unlocking her phone, she started scrolling through her contacts until she found the name that she needed and pressed dial.

"Ted had just finished a meeting with the new DCC. This was the third that they put in place within the year and none of them had stuck to the promises they had made. Pushing his office door, he hoped for a rest, some calm before the storm before resuming normal duties. A cup of tea would be nice. Placing his force issue jacket over the back of his chair, Ted sat down and logged back into his computer to it give it time to boot up before leaving when the ring of his office phone broke the silence. That cup of tea he was hoping for would have to wait a little longer. Duty calls.

"Ted picked up the office phone and put it to his ear. "Superintendent Hastings." "Sir, it's... Lindsay Denton." It was hard to make her out over the phone. She sounded as if she was crying. "Sir?" br /"Yes, Lindsay what can I do for you? Are you ok?" He heard Lindsay chuckle through the tears. "Not really sir. I've just been shot at!" Lindsay wiped the tears falling down her face with the back of her hand. He was taken aback by this piece of information. "Lindsay, are you safe? You should be calling 999." "I was shot at by Dot Cottan of all people and I phoned you directly because I know that you would not want to hear this around the station. I was trying to help you by being discreet." "Thank you for that Lindsay." Hasting's couldn't believe what he was hearing and this was Lindsay speaking. She could bend the truth but he was a police officer and if a member of the public made an accusation and was in need of help then he was there. "Lindsay where are you right now?" "I'm at the docks, he drove me here and I got away. He left a while ago but I need help. Bring me to AC-12 and I will tell you everything I know. Look at your email if you want to know why I'm in this situation. Please Sir. I know you'll do the right thing." Lindsay was near hysterical at this point. He could barely make her out. He clicked open his emails and saw the first one, clicking on it he saw the contents. A photo with a list of names. He instantly recognised it as the list that his team had not been able to find. He could barely believe it. How did she find it? He felt that she was telling the truth, even though the accusation sounded obscene but now he knew there must be some evidence to back up her claim. "Lindsay I'm going to send Kate down to get you." Lindsay cut him off. "Send Steve. I'll only talk if Steve comes to get me. Hasting's couldn't believe that she was making demands even in this moment. "Steve's on leave at the moment." "I'll only come if I see Steve." Hasting's knew that if he left her out there then he would be failing his duty and leaving her in open arms to whoever was after her. "OK I'll do that but to do that you've got to get yourself safe. Now these places normally have a portacabin that they use as an office. I want you to find it and when you do lock yourself in and stay away from the windows. Can you do that for me?" "Yes sir."

"Lindsay was calmer now. Hearing the voice of someone who was trying to get herself out of this situation she was put in was helping her stay calm. She stood up and slowly started to walk further in hoping that the offices where in the middle. She really had no clue. She was willing herself to think logically in this situation but it was not working. Meanwhile Ted still heard the phone up to his ear. He could see Kate outside of his office but didn't want to leave Lindsay in case something happened. He looked on his desk for something to get her attention and spotted a rubber. Picking it up he launched it at his office window and it clattered against the glass with a bang. The whole office looked up and at the direction the noise had come from. Directly at him. He couldn't care about what his staff thought about him at this very moment as a situation unfolded and he needed help. He pointed at Kate who was the only one standing and beckoned her with his finger. She looked confused but walked towards his office with a quick pace. Kate opened the door.

"Can I help sir?" Motioning to close the door Kate closed It behind her. She strode across the room towards his desk. "I need you to get a few trusted officers, take a couple of patrol cars, some vests and pick up Steve and go to the docks." Hasting's said. "Why? What's going on Sir?" Kate asked. "I need you to bring in Lindsay Denton. It's urgent! I suggest you book out a gun as well. I'm going to get armed response on the scene." "Is she dangerous Sir?" "No, but the people after her are. Watch what you're doing and phone me when you pick up Steve. I'll tell you more when you get him." Kate was ultimately confused but had a job to do so went about it. She exited the room leaving Ted with the phone call.

"Lindsay, are you there yet?" She had just arrived at the bottom of the stairs when he had asked. She climbed up them. Looking around from her vantage point to see if anyone was following her. All was quiet. She opened the door and went in. The office was empty. "I'm in sir, nobody's here." "That's good as we don't have to explain anything going on." Hasting's replied. "Now I want you to lock the door and stay away from the windows." Lindsay did just that. Hiding herself in a corner under a table. "Kate and Steve are on their way to get you OK; they won't be long.

Kate had collected her gun, the officers in question and they were now driving with their sirens blaring on the way to Steve's flat. Kate took out her mobile from her pocket and dialed Steve's number. He answered with a sleepy "Hello" "Have I just awoken you from you sleep Steve Arnott, It's 2 in the afternoon. "What of it? And why are you phoning I thought you were at work." "That's what I'm on the phone to talk to you about. Get dressed and I'll see you outside your door in 2." It didn't take long for the convoy to arrive at Steve's door. He got into the back of the police vehicle before it sped off. "Kate, what's going on?" "Here, take this." She said as she handed him over a bulletproof vest. "I need to phone Hasting's"

"Ted was still on his office phone trying to keep Lindsay calm when his mobile rang. He picked it up. "Put me on loudspeaker." Kate pressed a button and now his voice could be heard between Kate, Steve and a uniformed Sergeant who was driving them to their destination. "Lindsay Denton phoned me earlier to say that there was an incident where she was driven to the docks and shot at. You're on the way to get her and bring her in so that she's safe at AC-12" "Why AC-12? Who was the assailant?" Steve asked. "Dot Cottan. Kate and Steve shared a look of worry. "I know you may not want to believe it that one of our own is bent but you AC-12 and when a member of the public makes an accusation, we do our upmost to uphold the law. I hope you have your lights on as a major police presence should scare whoever off." 

"They are less than 5 minutes away Lindsay. Can you hold on for a tad longer? They are on the way." A whisper came down the phone line. "Yes." Lindsay was still hiding under the desk. Flashback of earlier haunting her mind. She could have died today and thought she was taking it quite well for what had just happened. Then she heard them. Sirens in the distance and getting louder as they were coming closer. "They are nearly with you. Are you still in the portacabin?" Another yes whispered down the phone. She might just make it after all.

"3 police patrol cars and an armed response unit van sped into the docks with sirens blaring. Steve jumped out the car and started running towards the portacabin as the directions Hasting's had given him with Kate not following far behind. Armed response doing their upmost to keep up. "We're here. We've found the portacabin. Steve's going up now." Steve climbed the stairs. Doing exactly as

They're here. I think I hear footsteps." Lindsay said quietly down the phone scared encase it wasn't them. "Yes. Kate has just told me that Steve's outside. "A knock on the door interrupted their conversation. "Lindsay, it's Steve Arnott." With phone still in hand, Lindsay crept out from under the table and across the room. She unlocked the door, opened it slowly and peeked out. She saw Steve on the other side. Opening the door fully, Lindsay threw herself around him. She was truly glad to see him. /p 


	2. Chapter 2

I forgot to mention that in this story the court found Lindsay not guilty on all charges. Which means that she was "falsely imprisoned" and that she shouldn't have lost her job, home, Bella...blah! Blah!  
And that just because she was found not guilty doesn't mean that she didn't do it. Also that none of this would have happened in real life and this is all a work of fiction (loosely based in reality) because I don't have access to a police procedural advisor which means I can skew the lines between programme and ff and that Jed Mercurio shouldn't sue me if the want arises.

Steve walked Lindsay backwards into the small office and produced a police vest that he had been hiding behind his back. She looked down at his hands in which he held the item and shook her head.  
"Steve..."  
"It's just a precaution." He replied.  
"It's just until we get you to the station. To keep you safe."  
He unfastened the vest, slipped it over her head. Lindsay slipping her hair out from the confines of the vest and Steve closing the Velcro straps around her body. "There. Now what we're going to do next is that we're going to walk out of here and down the stairs. I'll be behind you. That sounds ok?"  
Lindsay nodded. "Yeah sure." A small smile was on her face but her tears were in her eyes. She was still scared of what could lay outside for her.

Soon they were both outside. The sun is bright in Lindsay's face. Her hand went up to protect herself from the light, seeing Kate at the bottom of the stairs as she did so. As she got to the bottom of the stairs Kate greeted her.  
"Lindsay. Arms out."  
Lindsay took a deep breath. She was used to this in prison but she was out now and finally free and they were still treating her like a criminal. She stared at Kate and spread her arms out to the side as well as her legs. Kate patted her down and found nothing. "She's clean."  
Lindsay could have told her that but she knew they had to check. Kate then took her handcuffs out of their holder.  
"Hands."  
Lindsay held out her arms in front of her but her head turned to face Steve. Her voice close to tears.

"Really, Steve."  
Steve dropped his head in embarrassment.  
"It's just precaution. Just until we find out what's going on. I'm sorry, Lindsay."  
"I'm the victim." He took her arm and guided her through the group of officers surrounding them, some armed and some not, towards the waiting police vehicles.

When they got to the vehicles, Steve opened the backdoor of one of the patrol cars and he motioned for Lindsay to get in. "Watch your head." Steve said as Lindsay ducked her head to get into the back of the car, mindful to not to bump her head as she got in. Her hands, which were still in handcuffs, rested on her knees. Steve took the seat belt from beside her, pulled it around the front of her body and clipped it into the holder making sure it was secure. Steve shut the door behind him as she was alone with her thoughts for a while. She looked out into the car park from where she was sitting and could see Steve and Kate conversing with a Sergeant, some of the armed cops standing in a group, others seemed to be looking at her. She couldn't stand that, looking at her with pity or disgust. She turned her head away from the baying crows and stared at the headrest in front of her wondering when Steve would come back. The doors soon opened and Steve, Kate and the Sergeant they were talking to outside entered the car. The Sergeant took the driver's seat, Kate in the passenger seat and Steve took the backseat beside inside his hands he was carrying a black blanket. Lindsay looked at him as he got in the backseat with a look of fear in her eyes that Steve noticed.

"It's just so that no one recognises you while we transport you."  
"Fine."

Lindsay bowed her head and let Steve stretch the open blanket over her head and body. The convoy soon started to move, speeding its way back into the city, lights and sirens blaring as the pack of cars drove in formation.

The car suddenly jerks left and the occupants inside slid in their seat. It shook Lindsay who was still under the blanket, her sight blinded due to the dark cover. She could hear Kate in the front seat, "Watch it!" and the sergeants reply soon after "Sorry ma'am." She saw Steve's hand under the blanket and reached for it expecting for him to pull away once he realised what she'd done. He didn't though. His hand gripped hers and squeezed it more tightly. She didn't feel so alone anymore.

"We're here." Kate announced to the car as the car drove through the gated back-entrance of AC-12, quickly coming to a stop soon after. Lindsay could hear the car doors open and everyone exiting the vehicle but she couldn't. She was trapped, blinded and stuck in the back of the vehicle. Until the door opened and a rush of air came in. Her seatbelt was unclipped and an arm swiftly grasped hers and pulled her from the car. Another hand grasped her left arm and they started to quickly walk towards the station, Lindsay finding it hard to keep up with the pace of her wardens. They arrived at the cells of AC-12 and her blindfold was removed. Lindsay squinted as her eyes adjusted to the light.

"Lindsay Denton, Sarg." Steve spoke. "Helping our enquiries into the Waldron case."

Lindsay looked at Steve with shock, then she remembered that there was no need to give her a new identity, she had already been all over the papers. Everyone knew, her fellow cops knew what had happened. She was tarred with a brush and the stain would never be out. "Do you have anything on your person that you could harm yourself or others with?" She shook her head no. "She's clean, Sir." Kate said from behind her. "Put her in cell 5." Steve took her arm again and they walked towards the cells.

The sergeant had followed closely behind Steve and Lindsay and unlocked the cell door for her to go in.

"Give us a minute." Steve said. "Sure." The sergeant replied. "Just call me when you're ready."

Turning back around the Sergeant left Steve and Lindsay alone.

"You can't do this to me Steve. I don't feel safe here." "You'll be ok, I'll make sure of it. It's just until we can get in contact with your lawyer. She was called Hepburn, wasn't she?"

Lindsay nodded. "Yeah, she is."

"Once we get you settled, I'll make sure to call her. Are you hungry? Can I get you something to eat?"

"Yes please." Was her reply. Steve called the sergeant over. "Can we get her something to eat."

The sergeant left and came back a couple of minutes later with a microwave meal. She looked at it and then looked up at Steve. She shook her head. "Steve, I can't." Steve looked down at the microwave meal.

"Sorry sir, she only eats out of sealed packaging." The sergeant nodded and walked away presumably to eat the meal he had just prepared.

Steve looked at Lindsay. "You trust me right."  
Lindsay nodded. "Yeah."  
"Why don't I go out and get you something, is fish and chips ok?" "Yes, please Steve, Thank you."

"No problem. I'll be back soon." He called the sergeant back over to lock up the cell, leaving Lindsay inside like a trapped animal. Steve returned to the cell about

30 minutes later, 2 boxes of fish and chips in hand. The sergeant unlocked the cell to reveal Lindsay sitting on the thin mattress. Steve entered the cell and passed one box over to her.  
"I've phoned your lawyer; she's going to be a couple of hours as she's got another case but when she gets here, I'll come and get you when she does."

"What's with the other box?" Lindsay asked.

"It's my portion." Steve said. "I thought I would come and eat with you. If that's ok."

Lindsay's senses become heightened. She wondered if this was another one of his tricks to get her to talk. She would keep her cards close to her chest.  
"Yes. No problem."

She shuffled up on the bench to give him space and he walked over, closing the space between them. They ate their meals in relative silence. The only sounds around them breaking the silence was the sounds of other offenders in their cells. They finished eating and Steve took Lindsay's empty box from her. "Thanks Steve." She smiled. He looked back at her. "No problem." I'll be back when she arrives." Lindsay nodded. The door shut behind Steve and she was left on her own again.

Around 3 hours later the cell door unlocking awoke Lindsay from her sleep. She sat up from where she had been lying down and patted down her hair which had become messy from sleep. She tried to cover her mouth and stifle a yawn as the sergeant appeared. Pointing at her, she moved from where she had been sitting and walked over to him. She knew the routine off by hand due to the time she spent in prison. As she got out of the cell, the sergeant closed the door behind her. She stepped aside to see Steve standing there. He turned and started to walk away, she followed him to an interview, the sergeant following close behind her. Steve opened the door to reveal her defence lawyer from the trial, Melanie Hepburn and as Lindsay stepped into the room Steve closed the door behind her. She walked past Melanie and took the chair beside her. Melanie turned to face Lindsay and they caught each other's eyes.

"Lindsay before we start, I want to start off by saying, and you're a smart woman as I know so I'm sure you'll understand that this is not my job. Of course, I trained in law but I am a barrister and most of my work is in court in front of a judge. I can help you but I do strongly suggest using a solicitor."

Lindsay took what Melanie said in, straightened herself up and replied. "As you know I understand but you stood up for me in court, you believed me when others didn't and I want you to be the one to help me out."

Melanie thought it over. "I don't like it but ok, I will. Now, I want you to tell me the truth Lindsay. What happened in the past couple of days to get you here?"

Lindsay took a deep breath. "I left that B&B to go to an internet café. I found the details of the account that a police officer used to keep a list of known paedophiles on." "You say you found these details. How?" Lindsay shook her head. "It was more like I acquired them."

"You acquired them, from who?"

"DS Steve Arnott."

"A police officer." Melanie had heard that name before and thought back to the court case, and then when she had been shown into the building a few minutes ago. She pointed out towards the corridor. "Wait, that man out there?"

Lindsay nodded. Melanie rolled her eyes. She was not happy.

"Go on."

"So, I copied it and saved it into my email account but when I got outside, I spotted a car. I thought that DS Arnott had found out what I was up to because the car was a car exactly like his service vehicle but when I got there it was another office called DI Matthew Cottan. He told me that he knew what I was up to, he saw me impersonate a police officer and that I broke my licensing conditions and that he would send me back to prison. I pleaded with him to take me to AC-12, that I would make a statement and tell them what I had found but when I got inside, he took me to the docks instead. Pointed a gun at me and told me he would give me 100 grand if I just kept my mouth shut. I got out of there and sent the list to AC-12."

Melanie was shocked how one woman could go through so much and still be standing. Still want to fight for truth and justice. "That sounds terrible Lindsay. You've been through so much."

Lindsay gulped, pushing down that urge to cry down and composed herself again. "I've been through worse."

A knock on the door broke the silence between the two. They looked up to see Ted open the door. "Are we ready to begin?" Melanie looked at Lindsay and then to Ted. "I believe we are."


	3. Chapter 3

Ted walked through the door followed closely by Kate. Shutting the door behind herself she sat down beside Hastings at the table. She placed the folders of the case that she had brought in down on the table, put a new cassette tape in the DIR and pressed play when everyone was ready. The beep of the recorder filled the room and its occupants with an unbearable feeling.

"AC-12 interview of Lindsay Elizabeth Denton. This interview is conducted by myself, Superintendent Hastings and DC Kate Fleming in AC-12. Present in the room are Lindsay Elizabeth Denton and her solicitor Melanie Hepburn QC. Today's date is the 17th of July, 2015 and the time is now 6:30PM. For the tape Lindsay, you are aware that this interview is being recorded." Ted said.  
"Yes, I am." Lindsay replied  
"Good. I would like to start off this interview by asking how you became in possession of the list of names of paedophiles that were in Daniel Waldron's possession."

Lindsay looked at Hastings but didn't reply. She sat back in her chair and whispered to her solicitor.  
"I will tell him everything I know about Dot, the list and the ambush but I have conditions that must be met first."  
Melanie quickly whipped her head around and looked at Lindsay. She hadn't mentioned this before. "I would like a word with my client please? In private." Melanie asked Hastings.  
"Now I don't think we can..." He was interrupted by Kate giving him a slight nudge. He looked at her and motioned for her to hit the pause button. She did. "Interview paused at 6:32PM." Kate said.

"I want that empty too." Lindsay said motioning towards the room next door through the two-way glass." "No problem." Kate replied as she followed her boss out the door and closed it behind her. When they exited, they stood further up the corridor. Steve left the door next to the interview room and closed the door behind him. Walking down the corridor towards Hastings and Kate until he met up with them. "I dislike what she's doing." Hastings said. "Do you think we'll get the truth out of her?" Hastings asked Kate and Steve looking between them both. "Not sure, Sir." Steve replied.

In the interview room Melanie was about to blow a fuse but kept her outside demeanour calm. "Couldn't you tell me about this earlier? What is it that you want?" Melanie asked.  
"One. An apology from the officers who wrongfully put me in prison." "Lindsay...I"  
"Two. Immunity from prosecution. For everything I am about to tell them."  
"Lindsay, I am not going to lie. That suggests that there are some things you've done that are questionable." Melanie told her.  
"I am not going to lie to you. There have been some questionable things that I have done but they were all in the pursuit of justice. So yes, I may have done some unjust things to get that list but they were never going to get it without me helping in some way."  
"Is there anything else you want?" Melanie asked but hoping there wasn't.  
"The third is that I want my job back. I want to be a Detective Inspector again."  
"Lindsay from what you've told me and I'm sorry to have to tell you this but as you probably already know there would be no way for you to return."  
"Luckily for me there is a thing called client confidentiality and due to the fact, I was found innocent in court and for immunity from prosecution. I have a clean slate. There's no reason for me not to get my job back."  
"Lindsay, I don't think you are thinking straight." Melanie said.  
"I am. I spent a year and a half of my life in prison. I lost my home. My job. I was found innocent and I want it all back. I will never, ever spend one more day in prison."  
"You understand then that what you are asking for comes with a big cost to the police. Your face is out there, guilty or not guilty. The public have already convicted you in their eyes. The people that are after you, will come after you. As I've said there is no way that I can promise you will get this. It would be easier for the police to put you in witness protection but we all know what happened the last time that was done." Melanie said.  
Lindsay felt uncomfortable at that comment. That jibe hit her hard as she remembered her life previous to what was currently happening. "Just tell them that I will tell them the ins and outs of it all but I won't give any of it up until my conditions are met."

Melanie felt as if she was over a barrel. She stood up and walked to the door and upon opening it up. The trio looked towards her. "We're ready now." They split up with Kate and Hasting following Melanie and Steve going back into the interview room. When they got back in the room, they all took their places back at the table. With Kate unpausing the tape for them to begin again.

"Interview resumed at 6:45." Ted said.  
"Before we start my client has something to say." Melanie turned to look at Lindsay who was facing Ted and Kate. "My client will tell you everything you want to know about the list, how she acquired it and how it links to the ambush but there are some things you have to provide before you get that information." Ted could sense something bad was coming, fear rose within him.

"One. She wants an apology from the officers who wrongfully put her in prison."  
"I don't think..."  
"Two. Immunity from prosecution for everything she will disclose and three, she wants her job as a police officer back. That is what my client asks for and if she does not get these assurances then she will walk out this building."

The team couldn't believe what they were hearing.  
"You understand Lindsay that if the DCC had any sense she would put you in witness protection."  
"If your boss had any sense, she would know that it's not worth the time or the money as my face is too well known to hide me safely."  
"For the tape Lindsay, you do know that due to the evidence if you were to provide your position right now that if you were to leave here empty handed and with no protection that there is a high likelihood that the people trying to keep this information a secret may come after you."  
"Yes, I understand that if I were to leave here, having either given you the evidence or not and were to end up murdered tomorrow then my conscience would be clear and my job done. My head will be held high as my job as a police officer I have protected the public. I have helped the public when in need and I have done my civic duty. I found that list before you and I just hope that for the people who were wronged by the people on that sheet find the justice that they have been searching for as I for sure have found mine."

This angered both Ted and Kate but they kept straight faces throughout it all.  
"Well with you being an ex-police officer." Ted said. "You understand that I am not the one to make this decision and that it goes to the officers above me to make that call. I have to speak to my superiors about this but until then Lindsay you will be placed in our custody overnight. We will resume questioning tomorrow at 9am, after you've had adequate rest. That will give us 8 and a half hours left with you in custody before we either release you or place you in protective custody with the aim being witness protection. I will be going just now to talk to the DCC but for now the interview has terminated."

"Get Steve to take her back to the cells." Hastings said before he stood up from the table and exited the room shutting the door behind him on the way out. Kate stopped the tape and ejected it. Placing it in an evidence bag and sealing it up in front of Lindsay and her solicitor. "I'll be back tomorrow Lindsay, let's just hope you get the result you're wanting." Hepburn picked up her files off the table and placed them in her bag before leaving the room and the station to go home. Kate picked up the rest of the files from the table and placed them in a pile to make it easier for her to carry. "Come on Lindsay." Kate said and Lindsay stood up from the table towards the door. She opened it and walked out with Kate following close behind her. At the same time Steve exited from the room next door. "She's yours." Kate said to Steve. "I need to go up and file these. "No bother." Steve replied and he took Lindsay's arm and they walked back to the cells. With a quick word with the sergeant in charge, she was being led down the corridor towards the cell she would be staying in for tonight. The sergeant opened up one and she was gently pushed inside. The door loudly clicking shut and locking behind her. Lindsay sat on the hard mattress. She didn't think she would be in here again so soon.


	4. Chapter 4

As soon as Ted had come out of the interview room, he had quickly left the station and raced across town to Pelbury house. He went upstairs to the top floor where the DCC secretary told him to wait and that the DCC would be out soon. He took a seat in the waiting room and waited for her to come out. The door of the office swung open soon after to reveal DCC Joanna Marsden in the doorway of her office. "Ma'am." Ted said, greeting her. "Come on through." Joanna said quickly ushering him through and went back to sit at her desk. Ted closed the door behind him making sure that their conversation wasn't overheard.

"Hi Ted, what can I do for you?" Joanna asked.  
"You remember the police officer that we charged in connection with the ambush. AC-12 are currently questioning the ex-police officer who is willing to give up information relating to the Caddy, a paedophile ring and the police ambush of September 5th."  
"That sounds good. What do they want?"  
"She wants immunity from prosecution, an apology from the officers who wrongly fully put her in prison, compensation and her job back."  
"An ex female police officer. Who is she?" Joanna asked.  
"Lindsay Denton, ma'am. She's the sole survivor of the ambush and woman who was charged in connection with the £50,000 bribe money."  
"Is she the same woman one of your officers slept with."

Ted was slightly angered but tried not to show it. Steve's bad decision would always hang over them  
"DS Arnott categorically denies it."

"He may deny it but the jury found her not guilty because of that. Maybe your standards are slipping Ted? Maybe you need someone new on your team. You have an undercover officer who keeps getting caught, A DS who keeps sleeping around and a bent DI who was under your nose the whole time and who is now on the run. From what I know Denton had an unblemished career record up until that point and from what I've heard she was a good officer. Making complaints against other officers which were all upheld. You could use someone like that on your team, seems like she's miles better than the ones you have just now.  
"Well ma'am, we have reason to believe that The Caddy is after her. There was a recent attempt by him to end her life and that's why she came in, to give us the information before he could get to it.

"So, what are you going to do about it?" Joanna asked.  
"Well that's why I came to see you?"  
"What was it she wanted again?"  
"She wants immunity from prosecution for what she will disclose."  
"Well that makes sense."  
"She wants an apology from the officers who wrongfully put her in prison."  
"That can be done."  
"and she wants her job back and monetary compensation for her time in prison and what she had to endure."  
"How much?" Joanna asked.  
"£750,000."  
Joanna took a deep breath and thought it over for a few seconds.

"Well, how I see it Ted and from what I've heard is that the prosecution of her was a witch hunt. It's clear that you couldn't catch The Caddy, someone who was under your nose the whole time and now Lindsay here has brought you crucial information that you or your team couldn't find."  
"Ma'am but I..."  
"No, Ted. I could disband your team right now if I wanted to and I should, due to all the problems arising, but I have a better idea. We could put Lindsay into witness protection but we both know that she wouldn't do well and that there's a higher chance of her being found by those bent coppers you seem to be trying to catch. Lindsay gets it all, immunity from prosecution, A formal apology from your officers as that's what she deserves. The money I feel is too much we should try to bring it down to £500,00. Plus, the job that she wants back. She gets it back Ted but there are conditions. The first being that she comes to work as a DI for AC-12. You and I both know that she has the makings of an AC-12 officer and the second is that she has a probationary period of at least two and a half years but if it goes tits up then AC-12 gets disbanded."

Ted couldn't believe what he was hearing. "But ma'am."  
"No Ted. Don't defy me. That's what she wants, that's what she gets. What time will you be questioning her?"  
"Our interview resumes tomorrow at 9am."  
"You will see me tomorrow then at 9am sharpish. I want to be there to give her the news, make sure that nothing is left out and hear it all for myself. I've been wanting to meet her and finally I can. That's all Ted. I'll see you tomorrow."

Joanna out stretched her arm towards the door and Hastings got the message. "Thank you, ma'am." Hastings said as he turned and quickly left the room, shutting the door after leaving wanting to get back to the office quickly to tell his subordinates the deal which had just been struck.

It was early next morning when Lindsay was shouted on. Still wearing yesterday's clothes, she was shown into the interview room. She took a seat beside Melanie; the other side of the table was still empty. "How did you sleep?" Melanie asked her. "I've had worse, you get used to it after a while."

The door clicked open and Lindsay looked up to see Hastings walk into the room followed by a woman that she didn't recognise. Lindsay could tell that the woman was only slightly taller than Kate. The woman's blonde hair was scrapped back into a tight ponytail high on her head. Her eyes looked kind and she was only slightly younger than Ted. Lindsay wondered why she was here. A new person on the case could only be good news, she told herself. The woman put the files that she had been carrying down onto the table and took a seat beside Ted. Hastings pressed the button on the recorder and it started to record.

"Interview of Lindsay Denton. Present in the room is myself, Superintendent Hastings. Also, in the room is DCC Marsden, Lindsay Denton and her solicitor Melanie Hepburn." Hastings said.  
"Lindsay, we would like it if you can tell us all about your altercation with DI Matthew Cottan and how he links into the ambush and the trial?"  
"I asked for assurances, I will only tell you if I get them. Is that something you're willing to give?" Lindsay asked.  
DCC Marsden opened the file she had placed on the desk and turned it around to face Lindsay. She flicked through them and spread them out on the table.

"As you can see in front of you Lindsay, these documents are our end of the bargain. You can have a read of them and if you agree then sign. I will sign these here in front of you to show you that I mean everything that I say. Starting with this one."

She took the document relating to the immunity from prosecution from the pile and signed her name on the dotted line in the corner. She then placed it back in the pile and put her pen beside it.

"Now Lindsay, are we agreed?"

"Lindsay picked up the newly signed document, read through it and then passed it to her lawyer who read it through and passed it back. Melanie nodded. Lindsay picked up the pen from the table and signed the document she had in her hands.

"The reason why I ended up in the docks with DI Cottan today is because he picked me up from outside of an internet café. I had noticed that specific internet café when on a recce with DS Steve Arnott to find the place where Sergeant Waldron had placed the list of names. Myself and DS Arnott tracked Sergeant Waldron's steps and I deduced that for the list not to be traceable that Sergeant Waldron must have used the internet café to do so. He would want to use a computer that was not his own and place it in a place hard to find but with the right knowledge that it would be able to be tracked down. By placing it in the drafts of an email account there is no data for it to be traced as it had not been sent. Myself and Ex-DCC Dryden used this as our way to communicate when he was cheating on his wife. I placed it into my drafts so that if I did end up dead due to it, then you would find it much easier. When I left the internet café, I saw a Volvo and thought it was Steve's car and that he had found out what I had been up to but when I got closer, I saw that DI Cottan was the one driving. He told me that I had broken the terms of my licence and that I would be going to jail for impersonating a police officer. I tried to reason with him and when I was going to get into the passenger side of the car. I told him to take me to AC-12, via the main roads and that I would tell you everything about what I had found but when I didn't tell him he then turned off and then the further he got away I knew that he wasn't going to turn back. That's when he told me that he knew that I took that bribe. It clicked."

"What clicked, Lindsay?" DCC Marsden asked.

"When I was placed on missing persons, the reason why I searched for Carly, apart from her being a vulnerable teen, was because she was being groomed by Thomas Hunter. I noticed this when I went to the Crime Executive Seminar and Mike Dryden was there, along with Manish Prasad. They looked friendly and from across the room I could see them eyeing up Carly. It disgusted me that they were acting like that and the fact that they used their position to do so. I saw Carly get into Dryden's Land Rover and so used my car and followed them both to the train station car park. They parked up in a secluded area and so I got out of my car. I watched until I got the evidence of what she was about to do and made myself silently known. Dryden threw Carly out of the car and sped off. A silver Mercedes belonging to Thomas Hunter came around the corner, Manish was with them. They got out of the car and started beating Carly because she hadn't gotten them blackmail for Dryden. She ran off and they got back into the car to follow her. I took down the number plate and used Sergeant O'Neill's computer to PNC the car, so that it wouldn't be traced back to me. I followed the Mercedes a few days after and confronted Hunter unfortunately I didn't realise that Jayne Akers would be there. She then followed me back to my house a time later and told me that she knew why I did it. She told me that they would drug her, beat her and pimp her out at their pleasure. I wanted to bring him in but she told me that he had immunity. That he was untouchable. Carly was a 15-year-old girl and they used her to their advantage, I asked her what she was suggesting we do about it and the plan of the ambush was made. She told me she would give me £50,000 for my trouble, that it would help my mum's expenses and mine. I would have to drive the ambush to 4th Street Station but I got cold feet and turned off the road. That's why we were shot at that night, why they were killed because I turned off the road."

At the recalling of the ambush, Lindsay started to get emotional. Her voice shook and tears were in her eyes.

"If I had kept on driving that night, none of you would have known that I was part of it. It's only because I got cold feet that four people died that night. They knew that if I wasn't punished for it then I would tell you. I will live with their deaths for the rest of my life. I thought Jayne was the only one who knew about the money but when Dot mentioned it in the car, I knew that he had to be a part of it. Another bent cop on the payroll and in AC-12. They have infected every bit of the force and I don't think we'll ever come back from it."

The atmosphere in the room felt heavy. Melanie passed a packet of tissues from her pocket to Lindsay and she tried her best to wipe up her tears on her face, to make herself look presentable again but she was too far gone. Marsden looked over to Ted who looked uncomfortable. His investigation into Lindsay and the ambush had just been broken in front of his eyes. Marsden gulped and pulled herself together. She grasped Lindsay's hands in hers and Lindsay looked up at her.

"Thank you, Lindsay, for telling us that. I believe it must have been very hard to deal with."

Lindsay wiped her nose with the tissue. "It was." She whispered.

Marsden picked up the pen from the table and the other two documents and signed them there and then. She then put them all back in the folder and placed it back onto the table.

"You have been very brave Lindsay, all that work to try to help a 15-year-old girl. I'm very proud of the fact that you were fighting for truth and justice. These are your copies Lindsay but I have two things that I would like to mention before you sign. Immunity from prosecution I can do that, a verbal and written apology from AC-12 I can do. They money I can also do, I would've rather you take £500,000 but after what I heard today you have earned that money. I would like to give you your job back but I have conditions and these conditions are that; one you return to work with a probationary period of two and a half years and that this period is spent working at AC-12 Lindsay. You are a valuable officer Lindsay and I feel like AC-12 need this at the moment. As you know yourself that the trouble the officers have gotten into but if at any moment, I get evidence that you are using this position to your advantage then you are gone. Do you understand Lindsay?"

Lindsay nodded her head. "Yes, I understand." Lindsay picked up the pen and signed her name at the bottom of the two sheets.

"Good then we agreed. These are your copies to keep then Lindsay. You start on Monday at 9am. About the money, it may take a while but I'll see about getting you an advance on it." DCC Marsden nodded and arose from the table and left the room. Ted got up soon after and followed her out leaving the two women alone in the room.

In the other room behind the glass, Steve and Kate had just watched the interview play out in front of them. Kate turned to Steve. "I feel like I've just watched a car crash in slow motion. The door opened and the two officers turned around to see who had arrived.

"Steve, show her out." Ted said standing in the doorway. He turned around and Steve followed him. He then turned left and went into the next room.

"Follow me Lindsay" Lindsay stood up, grabbed the files off the table and walked over to Steve. Melanie stood up behind her and followed them out, down the corridor to the custody suite.

"I'm glad you got what you wanted Lindsay; I'll send you my bill when you get your money in." Lindsay turned around and shook Melanie's hand.

"Thank you, for everything you've done."  
"Just doing my job. I just hope that I won't have to represent you anytime soon."  
Lindsay laughed at the comment. "No, I will make sure of that."  
"Have a nice life, Lindsay." "You too." Lindsay replied.

In that time the custody officer had grabbed her bag of the belongings from the backroom and brought them through. He placed them on the desk beside her sign out sheet. The custody officer passed Lindsay a pen. "Just need you to sign here ma'am." She signed on the dotted line and her belongings were handed back over to her.

"I guess I will be seeing you on Monday then." Steve said.  
"You definitely will Steve." Lindsay smiled. "I'll see you then."

Lindsay turned away and started to leave the building. Steve watched her as she walked through the doors and out the car park. He turned to see Kate waiting for him in the corridor and then turned back to Lindsay walking away. He quickly broke into a light jog, leaving the police station and following Lindsay across the car park.

"Lindsay." Steve said across the car park. She turned around to see Steve walking towards her.

"What?" She asked.

"Where are you staying tonight?"

This took Lindsay aback. "A room in a shitty B&B. Just until I get my money in, until I get back on my feet. I've got a feeling that could be a while."

"You could stay with me. I've got a spare room going to waste. Just to get you back on your feet."

"Steve, I don't have anything to give you, well not yet anyway."

"Don't worry about it. Just have a think about it tonight and I'll come around tomorrow and you can make a decision then. That sound ok?"

"It does. Thank you, Steve."

"No problem. I'll see you tomorrow." Steve quickly turned back towards the police station and jogged back in.

Kate was standing in the doorway having just watched their whole exchange.

"I can't believe you Steve." Kate said as he walked through the door.


	5. Chapter 5

Lindsay picked up her suitcase from beside the door and placed it on the bed. She unzipped the lid and started to take out the clothes from her chest of drawers and placed them inside the suitcase. She was nearly finished when the door knocked. She stopped packing and went over to open it. She smiled when she saw who was on the other side.

"Steve, come in. I'm just about finished packing."

Lindsay opened the door and stepped aside to let Steve into the room and then closed it behind him.

"If that's still ok?" She asked. "Of course, it is." He replied.

Lindsay went back over to the bed and zipped up the suitcase. She picked up a clear bag from under her bed, went over to her cabinet and started to fill it with her necessities. A knock on the door broke Steve and Lindsay from what they were doing.

"I'll get it." Steve said. He turned around and opened the door to the visitor.

"Is Lindsay Denton in?" The visitor asked "Yes, come in." Steve replied and let the man into the room.

"I hear that you're not going to be staying with us any longer Lindsay, that's unfortunate."

Lindsay dropped the bag of her belongings onto the bed, the sound resonated around the room.

"Or not, depending how you view it."

The ginger haired man laughed. "Very true. I'd just like to say how much we'll miss you. Remember to leave the key at the desk downstairs. I hope we won't have to meet again."

Lindsay laughed thinking about the video evidence she had of him. "If we do, it will be too soon."

"Well I'll leave you for now. Have a nice life Lindsay." He smiled but Lindsay could tell it wasn't genuine. It really disturbed her. The man turned around, opened the door and left the room leaving Lindsay and Steve alone.

"Creep." Lindsay said, trying not to let the interaction get to her. She tied a knot in the top of the clear plastic bag.

"Is that you done?" Steve asked and Lindsay nodded. "Let me take it down for you." Steve said.

"I am capable of carrying my own bags Steve." Lindsay laughed. "but ok, you can have this."

She passed him her suitcase and he lifted the partially empty case with ease. He didn't comment on it but made a mental note in his head. Lindsay picked up the room key from the table and did a double check of the room to make sure she hadn't left anything behind. She then followed Steve out into the hallway and locked the room behind her. Glad that this chapter of her life was ending. They walked down the flights of stairs to the front door leaving the room key on the front desk. She followed Steve out to his car parked on the street out front and filled the boot with her belongings. Getting inside before Steve quickly drove them away, glad to be rid of the place.

It took them 30 minutes to get across town to Steve's flat due to the mounting lunchtime traffic. When they arrived, Lindsay grabbed her belongings from the car and Steve showed her up to the flat.

"That's your room and that's mine." Steve said pointing to his left in the hallway.  
"The bathroom is there." He said pointing to the right.

Steve walked further down the hallway into the open plan kitchen and living room. Lindsay followed him. "And here's the kitchen and living room. I think that's all you really need to know."

"Steve, is it ok if I have as shower? We had to share a bathroom in the B&B and I don't think I ever felt clean after them." Lindsay asked him.

"Of course, make yourself comfortable. You know where it is. Towels are in the cupboard and I'm sure there's some Radox in there if you want a relaxing bath instead. Do you want a cup of tea made for when you're finished?" Lindsay smiled at the thoughtful gesture; she hadn't gotten that from another person in years.

"Yes please. I'll just..." She gestured behind her towards the bathroom. She turned, suitcase still in hand and went into the bedroom that was now classed as hers. Placing it on the bed, she opened it and removed the clothes she would wear after her bath and took them into the bathroom with her. Lindsay filled the bath and got inside, ready to let the stresses of the day melt off her.

Steve had just finished setting up the cups of tea on the bench when he heard a faint ringing. He followed the sound. Silence in the living room, in the hallway it got louder and when he arrived in front of Lindsay's room it was the loudest. He stepped in and seeing her phone vibrating on the bedside table, he picked it up and answered.

"Hello, Miss Denton?"  
"She's not here at the moment, can I take a message?"  
"My name is Susan. I work for the RSPCA at our Birmingham branch. A cat has come into our possession and when we checked the database this was the number that was registered. We were wondering if she was able to come and collect her. The cat's name is Bella."  
"Bella. Yes, we will come and pick her up. Is later this afternoon ok? Can I ask how she came to be in your possession."  
"The old lady who was looking after her, unfortunately died and her daughter brought the cat in because she is not able to look after it. The old lady made the daughter promise that she would find the lady she belonged to before and get the cat back to her as she was well looked after and a woman doesn't give up her cat unless she is forced to. Later this afternoon is brilliant, I'll let the team know. Thank you for now."  
"Thank you, goodbye."

Steve hung the phone up. He was so excited to tell Lindsay the news. He went across the corridor and knocked on the bathroom door. Lindsay raised her head out of the bubble bath and Steve knocked again.

"Lindsay, are you decent?"

"Erm, give me a second."

Lindsay lifted herself out of the bath and went to the cupboard to get a towel. She found it empty. Another knock. She quickly scanned the room for something to grab and her eyes locked onto a grey fluffy dressing gown hung on the back of the bathroom door. Quickly grabbing it, she put it on and tied it around her body. She opened the door a crack, just enough for her head and shoulder to peak around the door frame.

"Your phone was ringing so I answered it."  
Lindsay's eyebrows raised. "Oh, and? Was it important?"  
"It was the RSPCA. Bella was handed in this morning."  
"That's great." Lindsay said with a smile.  
"I thought you would be happier." Steve said. "Hurry up, get dressed. We're going to pick her up."

The realisation suddenly hit Lindsay. Her eyes lit up and she welled up with tears.

"I don't..." Lindsay said and Steve stopped her.  
"You don't need to worry about that I'll pay for everything and you can pay me back later. I know how much she means to you."  
"Thank you, Steve." A smile beamed from Lindsay's face.  
"No problem. I do have a question before I go, is that my dressing gown that you're wearing?"

Lindsay looked down to the garment she was wearing.  
"There weren't any towels in the cupboard and this is the first thing I could grab. Sorry Steve."

"No need to apologise. Anyway, get dressed. You don't want to keep her waiting."

Lindsay laughed. "No, we don't."

Steve turned and Lindsay pushed the door in front of her closed. She quickly got out of Steve's robe and changed into her clothes. Drying her hair felt longer than it would usually take but she put that down to excitement. She met Steve in the hallway and they made their way to the rescue centre.

When they arrived, they went to the front desk.

"Hi, I got a phone call earlier today. I'm here to pick up my cat. Her name is Bella."

The woman looked through the book at the front counter and looked at the details.  
"If you would just like to follow me."

Steve and Lindsay followed the woman through a door, down the corridor to the cat's kennels where they stopped in front of one near the end. The woman opened the door and through the Perspex glass Lindsay could see Bella in a red cat bed.

"Go inside." Susan said.

Lindsay stepped inside and bent down. Her knees placed on the floor. "Bella." She whispered.

The cat, upon hearing her owner's voice, jumped out from the cat bed and padded across the floor towards Lindsay and put her two front paws on her thighs. Lindsay scooped her up and placed her to her chest. "Bella, you're back. I'm not letting anyone take you again."

Bella rested her head on her shoulder and gently rubbed her head and repeatedly headbutted against her owner. Meowing frequently. Lindsay turned to Steve and the worker in tears.

"Steve, she's back." Lindsay said.

"Well, let's take her home."

After stopping at the front desk again to sign some papers and stopping at a Pets at home to stock up on cat items they arrived home.

After shutting the door behind themselves, Lindsay placed Bella's carrier on the floor.

"Welcome to your new home, Bella." Lindsay opened the door of the carrier and Bella ran as soon as she could. She wandered around the flat taking in all the new sights and smells. Lindsay took the bag full of toys and treats off Steve and started to unpack.

"I'm going to start dinner, if you're hungry?" Steve asked and Lindsay nodded.

A while later after dinner was eaten, the movie finished and the dirty plates littered the living room coffee table. Lindsay was content, fast asleep, napping on the sofa. Bella was curled up tight near her legs. Lindsay rolled over in her sleep, causing Bella, who was not expecting this, to leap from the sofa, walk across the living room and to jump straight into Steve's lap. Steve, busy concentrating playing a game on his console, was surprised when this happened. He looked down at Bella in his lap and smiled. He rubbed her fur and went back to playing his game. Bella content, closed her eyes and went for a well-deserved nap.


	6. Chapter 6

I promise you that we go to Wales in the next chapter. I also think that this is the first time I've uploaded during the daytime.

* * *

It was late next morning when Lindsay woke up in the spare bedroom of Steve's flat. With Bella at her feet, she opened her eyes to the room. She rubbed her eyes, and the first thing she focused on was the still full suitcase, that she hadn't got around to emptying, still sitting upright in front of the cupboard. She got up from the bed, quickly got changed and grabbed the suitcase, placing it on the bed she started to empty the contents.

Steve was in the kitchen when he heard Lindsay get up. Looking down at the cup that he had just placed down on the counter for himself, he started to wonder if he should put down another.

"Lindsay, do you want a cup of tea?" Steve shouted through the flat, hoping she'd hear. He waited a couple of seconds, and listened to the silence.

"Yes please." He heard Lindsay reply and he started to prepare her cup. The water finished boiling as he did so.

Lindsay had emptied her suitcase bit by bit. The only photos that she had left were placed at the top. She had a look through the memories. A young photo of her mother and her father at a works' night out. Various photos of her as a child. Newly born, primary school age and at high school. Birthday parties, Christmas, Caravan holidays that her and her mum went on. A photo of her in her police uniform, with her mum at graduation holding her certificate beaming at the camera. A photo of her with Bella as a kitten, which her mum had surprised her with as a gift for graduating. Her first flat, her new house. She placed all the photos, now without frames, on the top of the bedside table trying not to cry at the feelings that they had stirred up inside her.

She picked up each item of clothing from the suitcase and placed each item on a hanger and then on the rail in the wardrobe. It didn't take her long to get through them all. She looked at each item in the wardrobe when finished. 1 white shirt, 1 green, 1 navy. 1 navy suit jacket and trousers and one black. 2 pairs of light-coloured jeans. 1 crewneck salmon jumper, 1 green pullover and 1 grey V-neck cotton jumper. 1 grey hoodie, 3 pairs of mix and match pyjamas and one green jacket. That was all Lindsay had left to her name along with a smart pair of black boots and a pair of brown brogues.

She placed the last item in the wardrobe and took a step back. They didn't even fill up half the wardrobe. She wiped away a tear and sat on the bed when Steve had arrived with her tea. He passed her the mug of tea as he stepped into the room.

"What are you up to?" He asked.

Lindsay smiled as she took a sip of her tea. "Just unpacking. Since I forgot to do it yesterday."

Steve walked further into the room, walking past the bed and stopping in the middle of the room. He turned to look at the wardrobe, the 2 doors still wide-open revealing the contents inside. Steve looked, the thought that he had yesterday about Lindsay's suitcase was true, she had nothing to her name. Steve looked back at Lindsay and she kept her head down.

"What are you doing today?" Steve asked her and Lindsay raised her head, hoping that the thoughts that she was thinking didn't show on her face.

"I was thinking of just staying in, if that's OK?" The look on Steve's face said differently.

"Kate's text me. She will be coming around later." Steve didn't get time to finish his question.

"So, you want me out of the house." Lindsay butted in.

"I know that you're not the best of friends at the moment. I was thinking you could go shopping in the sales, cheer yourself up. Get yourself some new clothes for work. Wait here." Steve said.

He left the room and came back a few moments later with an envelope of cash.

"Take this Lindsay. Go out today and enjoy yourself. By something nice for Bella. Get yourself a tablet or a notebook for work and don't come back until you've spent it all."

Lindsay looked at the envelope in Steve's hands. "No, Steve I can't take the money, it's too much."

Steve pushed the envelope towards Lindsay again. "Please, take it. Enjoy yourself while you can and you can pay me back later when you have your money."

Lindsay took the envelope from Steve's hands. "Thanks Steve. It means so much." She said as she closed the doors on the wardrobe and left the room Steve following her out.

"I've got some time before Kate arrives. I could drop you off if you want." Steve said.

Lindsay put her shoes on and got her things ready to leave the house.

"No, it's OK. I'll take the bus." She smiled at Steve. "But thanks." She slipped out into the hallway, the flat door closing behind her.

The doorbell wrung around 30 minutes later and Steve went to answer it.

"Kate, it's great to see you." Steve said as Kate stepped into the flat. They embraced each other in the hallway.

"Is Lindsay in?" Kate asked.

Steve let her past him and closed the door behind her. "She's out, shopping."

Kate took a seat on the couch. "Oh, that's nice. Didn't stick around to see me."

"It wasn't malice. She's just trying to get some new things for tomorrow." Steve replied.  
"Can I get you anything to drink?" Steve asked Kate.

"A cup of tea would be nice." "Sure, no problem."

Steve walked over to the kitchen and started to get the cups ready. Kate turned to watch the TV and content herself until Steve came back. Something touched her right arm which was resting on the arm of the sofa. She turned around quickly and was greeted by Bella face to face with hers.

"When did Lindsay get Bella back?" Kate asked Steve, surprised.

Steve was finishing up the teas and brought them over.

"Oh, that surprise was yesterday. The woman who had her died and the daughter was going abroad and couldn't look after her. Bella's micro-chipped and came back with us. Lindsay was delighted."

"I bet she was. I can't really see you as a cat owner. You seem like more of a dog person."

Steve rubbed Bella's head after giving Kate her cup of tea. "Ah, she's not that bad." Steve laughed.

Bella meowed at the touch of Steve and then jumped off the arm, right into Kate's lap. Steve watched this movement and laughed again. "Yeah she does that."

Kate with a mug in one hand periodically stroked Bella's head with the other, glad of the company.

Lindsay walked up the precinct. The numerous amounts of bags in her hands were becoming heavy to hold and her stomach had started to rumble a while ago. She spotted a small café up ahead and made a beeline for it. Using her body to open the glass door, she stepped inside. Making her way over to the first empty table she saw, placing her bags on the other side of the booth she sat down and started to have a look at the menu. She placed it down and was about to get a waitress over when something caught her attention in the mirror. She inconspicuously looked into it. The man in the table across from her was staring at her intensely, she felt creeped out. She looked at him in the mirror and they locked eyes. He quickly looked away. "That's weird." She thought. "Should I move?" She looked up again and went to grab a waitress's attention, when she felt eyes around her lock onto her. The air in the room felt intense.

"It's just my mind." Lindsay thought, trying to reassure herself. The activity at the other table caught her eye and she looked over. The man grabbed his hat, placed his cup on the table and sat the paper that he had been reading down. She looked away as he got up from the table and walked away from her towards the door. With the menu forgotten, Lindsay leaned over and picked up the folded paper and brought it back to her table and sat back down. She flicked it open and on the front-page staring back at her was a photo of herself. BENT COP GETS BIG PAYOUT. The headline read. Shock hit her and she gulped hard. She looked up again and the whispers and looks she was getting were getting more intense. Folding the paper back over, she threw it onto the table. She quickly grabbed her shopping bags in her hands and pushed her way out of the store. The looks in the street were following her. Everyone knew who she was. She quickly walked up the street with no intention, she had to get away. She wanted to get back home, SHE HAD to get back home. She stopped and realised, she got the bus here and she would have to get the bus home. With all those eyes staring at her, watching her, catching a glimpse of the bent cop. Going home to tell their friends and family members all about her day. She placed her bags down on the ground at her feet and pulled her phone from her pocket. Quickly looking through her phone for Steve's name, for his number to phone to help get her out of this situation. She didn't really want to phone; she knew that he was probably still with Kate at his flat but desperate times called for desperate measures. She placed the phone to her ear and it started to ring.

BANG. Lindsay felt a heavy force hit her shoulder. Her handbag was pulled from her arm and away from her. She fell quickly to the ground. He hands flying out in front of her to help her stop her quick descent onto the concrete. Her landing was not light as she felt her knees dig into the bags of shopping that she had placed there earlier. She looked up to see a young youth in a tracksuit running away through the crowd, followed close behind by a male security guard.

"Are you alright ma'am?" Lindsay looked up at the voice. A female security guard was holding out her hand towards her.

"Can I help you up ma'am?" Lindsay took the woman's hand and she pulled her up off the ground. The woman looked at Lindsay, hair dishevelled, clothes rumpled, stained knees. The woman noticed a bench behind Lindsay and walked her over to it.

"Sit there and I'll bring your bags over. Lindsay watched as the woman picked up a number of her shopping bags and brought them over to her and then went back and forth bringing her the bags in short trips. The security guard looked down at them.

"That's a lot of bags." Lindsay looked at the many bags from the stores that she had shopped in. Next, Matalan, TKMaxx, Peacocks, Primark. Lindsay smiled at the woman.

"Yes, I'm updating my wardrobe." Lindsay said, not wanting to tell the woman the real reason. They were interrupted with the male security guard coming back to them.

"Sorry ma'am. He got away. I was able to get your bag back though. The strap must have ripped when he tore it from you. Sorry." Lindsay took the bag from his outstretched hand. The bag was unusable now. Lindsay smiled through tears. "Thanks for doing that."

"The police have been called. You'll need to wait here and give them a statement." The man said. "Is there anyone I can call for you?" The female security guard asked. "You're a bit shaken up. We don't want to send you home on your own." Lindsay took her phone from her pocket. There was a crack across the front of the screen from where she must have landed on it and handed it to the woman after unlocking it. "Could you phone Steve Arnott please. His number will be in my phone book." The security guard smiled and clicked the button, putting the phone up to her ear a few seconds later.

Kate and Steve were still chatting in the living room. Bella is still in Kate's lap with her stroking the animal's head.

"And then she thinks that it will be all OK if Lindsay basically becomes our boss, I still can't believe it?" Kate said.

Steve's phone ringing broke the conversation between them both and he picked it up from where it was vibrating across the coffee table.

"Oh, it's her. I wonder if she's finished" Steve said and clicked the button to answer the call. "Hi Lindsay, are you having a nice time." Steve asked but the person on the other side of the line wasn't her.

"Hi, is this Steve Arnott?"  
"Yes." He replied.  
"My name is Helen. I work as a security guard down at the shopping precinct. There's been an incident."  
"Is Lindsay OK?" Steve asked.  
"She's a bit shaken up. A teen attempted to rob her. The police have been called but we need you to come and pick her up if that's OK?"  
"Yeah sure. I'll be there right away."

Kate could see the shock on Steve's face as he hung up the phone. "What's wrong?" She asked.

"Someone tried to rob Lindsay today. I need to go and pick her up."

Kate put her empty cup of tea down on the table.

"Sorry about..." "No problem. Mark's probably wondering where I am anyway. "

Kate lifted Bella off her lap and sat her down on the couch.

"That sounds terrible. I hope she's OK. Tell her that from me."  
"I will." Steve replied.

They left the flat quickly and each went into their separate cars. Steve drove quickly across town to get to the shopping centre. When he arrived, he parked the car near the entrance and walked inside, passing the marked police car sitting outside on the pavement. It wasn't hard to find her inside, the fluorescent yellow police jackets directed his way to her. He quickly ran over towards the crowd.

"Lindsay are you OK?"  
"Do you know this man, ma'am?" The security guard asked.  
"Yes, this is the man you phoned." Lindsay said.

The security guard turned and placed her hand out. "Hi, I'm Helen. I'm the one who phoned you."

"Thank you for doing that." Steve said. "I'm glad someone was looking out for her."

Lindsay looked up at him. "Unfortunately, he got away. I got my bag back. Thanks to Alex." Lindsay said looking towards the other security guard.

The police officer who had been outside spreading information on his walkie talkie came back to the group. "Thank you for the statement ma'am." He said talking to Lindsay. "I've sent out a description of him so hopefully he's picked up again soon before he does it again. You might need to come down to the station at one point in the future but we will phone you if anything happens."

"Thanks for that." Lindsay replied to him. "You know where to find me."

"Let's get you home, Lindsay. I'll help you with your bags." Steve said, picking up most of them in his hands.

"Thank you for all you've done today." Lindsay told the security guards. "No worries, I'm just glad you're safe." Helen said back to her.

Lindsay picked up the rest of the bags that were left on the floor and walked away with Steve from the group. They exited the shopping centre and went to the car. Steve opened the boot for them to put her bags in and when they finished, they went into the front of the car.

"I feel so bad now for making you go shopping." Steve said.

"You weren't to know what was going to happen. That my face was to be plastered on the front cover of every newspaper. That the young boy was going to try to rob me because he believed that I had the money on me."

Steve looked at Lindsay shocked at the news he had just been told. "Really?" he asked. "Yeah." Lindsay nodded in reply.

"Let's get you home safe then away from all the lunatics. I will need to stop and get petrol." "Sure, you do that." Lindsay replied.

Lindsay and Steve made their way across town and stopped at a petrol station near his home. When he had finished filling up, he walked across the forecourt and went inside to pay. As he was standing in the queue the newspaper stand caught his eye. On every front page a photo of Lindsay was there. He looked down at them and looked up at Lindsay who was oblivious to what was happening inside. He thought about buying one and then thought against it. He would rather not have one in the house while Lindsay was around telling himself that he would look them up online and read the articles later instead.


	7. Chapter 7

You have no idea how many times I had to stop myself writing "down there" in reference to Wales and having to stop myself realising that I'm meant to be in Birmingham.

* * *

Steve took off his suit jacket and placed it on the back of the chair. He clicked the monitor button on before sitting down at his desk. He could hear Ted's footsteps behind him and Steve spun around in his chair.

"When Lindsay arrives, tell her that I want to see her in my office."

"No problem sir." Steve said as Ted turned on his heels and retreated back to his office.

It was early afternoon when Lindsay arrived at work. Steve had started earlier than her and had already left the flat before she did. He was sitting at his desk when Lindsay arrived. Lindsay went straight to his desk after swiping her way through the entrance with the entrance card she got from downstairs.

"Hey Steve. What's going on?" Lindsay asked.

Steve looked up at his computer. "Nothing exciting. We have just small cases at the moment. The gaffer asked me to tell you that he wants to see you when you arrive. It's probably just to welcome you to the team. Nothing to worry about."

"Oh, OK. I'll go and speak to him just now before I put my things down." Lindsay placed her handbag back on her shoulder and walked across the office to Hasting's office. She knocked on the door opening it up when she heard him say "Come in." She stepped inside and closed the door behind her.

"You wanted to see me Sir."

"Lindsay, welcome to AC-12. It's your first day. How do you feel?" Ted asked.

"Grateful to be here sir. I promise you that I won't cause any trouble for the department."

"I hope you don't, Lindsay. I don't have any problem reminding you that you are on probation for 2 and a half years and that you will be staying in AC-12 for that duration. Try to get along with your colleagues Lindsay, you're here until 2018. That wasn't why I brought you in here. The reason I brought you here is because I've had a phone call from Chief Superintendent Prosser in Wales apparently Carly Kirk is in Aberystwyth. I want you to go there now and find her before word gets around."

"You want me to go to Wales Sir?"

"Yes, I do Lindsay. When you were in missing persons you were tasked to find her and if there's any truth to what you said then she's part of an AC12 investigation too. You know the most about her and her case. I need you to go and bring her back to her foster parents. Can I trust you with that?"

"Yes Sir. You can, absolutely. By myself sir?"

"Yes. I will send down Kate or Steve if I can spare them but you are a DI. I believe that you're capable and proficient. You haven't told me any differently."

"There's no problem sir. I will go to Wales and I will bring Carly home."

"Good. Go ahead then, your service vehicle should be downstairs waiting on you."

"Thank you, Sir." Lindsay nodded and left the room, closing the door behind her. She walked past Steve's desk while leaving.

"What did the gaffer want you for?" He asked Lindsay.

"I've to go to Wales Steve. Apparently, Carly Kirk has been spotted down there and I've to go down there to pick her up before anyone finds out so keep it to yourself."

"Yeah sure."

"I don't think I need to ask but you'll look after Bella won't you, she's all I have now. Apart from you of course."

"Of course, no problem. I'll see you when you get back then. However long that is."

"Yeah, I'm going downstairs to get my car and then I'll stop off at the flat to get some clothes. I'll guess I will get going. See you when I get back Steve."

"Enjoy Wales."

Lindsay left the AC-12 offices and took the lift down to the bottom floor. Stopping on the way to the underground car park to collect her keys from the front desk and to sign the car out. She popped out of the lift and made her way across the car park, stopping periodically to look at the registration details on the keychain she had in her hand. A red Audi S4. Registration BA14 GUV. She clicked the button on the fob and heard and saw a car in the distance unlocked. She walked over to it and inspected it before driving off in the direction of Steve's flat before driving the 2-and-a-half-hour drive across the country until she reached Aberystwyth.

When she arrived at her destination, she pulled her car to a stop beside the pavement at the front of the station. She picked up her bag from the passenger side footwell and was just about to get out when there was a knock on her window. A cop in uniform was standing outside her car. She clicked the button to roll the window all the way down.

"Sorry ma'am you can't park here. Police vehicles only." The officer said.

Lindsay lifted her police lanyard off her neck and held it up to show the officer. The officer checked it and Lindsay let it go.

"Apologies ma'am. Sorry about that."

"No problem." Lindsay replied. "Where can I find DCI Mathias?"

"He should be inside ma'am. Just ask at the front desk."

"Thank you." Lindsay replied and rolled up her side window. She switched the ignition off and took out her keys. Locking the car door behind her, she quickly walked up the steps into the station and stopped at the front desk to ask for information. An officer came over to greet her. He saw the badge around her neck.

"Hi, I'm here to see DCI Mathias."

"He's currently in the press room ma'am. Giving an appeal to help find that missing girl."

Lindsay was confused and dubious of this fact of information. Hastings hadn't told her anything about that.

Lindsay lifted her thumb and pointed it behind her. "Is it...?"

"Yes ma'am. It's down that corridor towards the end. There will be a sign on the door."

She turned and followed the officer's instruction coming to a stop in front of a door which had the sign saying "**Press briefing. Enter here**." She opened the door slowly, not wanting to alert anyone to her presence. As she entered the room, she slowly closed the door behind her. She stepped into the room and stood at the back behind the rows of press, not wanting to disturb anyone. Lindsay had caught someone's attention though, the man she expected to be DCI Mathias was sitting at a table at the front of the room. Cameras trained on him and his fellow officers who were sitting beside him. She spotted him under the lights wearing a blue shirt and tie combination. Lindsay found him to be attractive in a ruggedly handsome sort of way, he had a full beard which had some dusting of grey hair through it and kind eyes. Lindsay liked that in a man. He looked up at her as he spotted her coming in the room and quickly his eyes went down to finish the sentence he was saying.

"If anyone out there has spotted her then we kindly ask that you phone the station and make us aware. A reward is offered for her safe return. Thank you."

The room quickly became a buzz with activity. Cameras were turned off. The journalists were quick to pick up their coats and the team walked off the stage and out the room by a door adjacent to their table. She quickly tried to push out the room before the crowd behind her swallowed her up. She stepped out into the hall and saw the man talk with his team in a small group. Each member breaking off to do a task they were assigned to do. Lindsay stepped forward down the corridor and let the crowd filter out behind her.

"DCI Mathias?" Lindsay called and turned around to face her. Tom walked quickly towards her up the corridor.

"What can I help you with?"

"I'm DI Lindsay Denton from AC-12. I'm here to help with the Carly Kirk investigation." Lindsay held her right hand out and Mathias took it in his and shook it. She smiled at the contact.

"I heard you were coming. It's nice to meet you. I'm Tom. If you come with me, I'll introduce you to the team."

She followed him down the rest of the corridor and into one of the offices. His team sat around a table discussing the information of the case. A cork board full of information about the case hung on the wall.

"Team. This is Lindsay Denton. She's a DI from AC-12 to help us with the Carly Kirk investigation. This is Mared, Llyod and Sian." They nodded to each other and exchanged pleasantries around the room.

"Why are AC-12 investigating a missing person?" Llyod asked.

"Llyod!" Tom said harshly.

"No, it's OK. I was part of missing persons before I became part of AC-12, so when Carly became part of our AC-12 investigation I was the obvious choice since I know most about her case compared to my colleagues so I was asked to come here to bring her home."

"Who is she going home to?" Mared asked.

"Her foster parents." Lindsay replied.

Mared smiled but inside she felt a twang of disappointment. Not towards Carly but to the life that this young girl must have already gone through. The pain she must have felt.

Llyod nodded and the rest of the team was too happy with the answer they were given.

"So, what do you have?" Lindsay asked.

Sian stepped up to the board.

"We have CCTV of Carly arriving at Aber train station yesterday at 3PM. From there we see her stop at the pier for some food and then go up and down the seafront stopping at hotels to ask for a room. All out of her price range until she comes to Gwesty'r Adar where she sees a sign in the window offering a room in exchange for work. She goes inside but the boss who works there says no because she doesn't have any documentation. The owner said she found it strange how young Carly looked and that she was carrying a backpack in which Carly made reference to that being the only things she owned. She phoned the station where Seargeant Wilson went down to talk to her about the situation. When he came back to the station, he recognised her face as the same one on the missing persons posters and made it known to Superintendent Prosser and that's all we have at the moment."

"I think you've done a great job so far so thank you for that." Lindsay said. She turned around to Tom. "I'd like to speak with that officer if that's ok."

"Yes, of course." Tom sat down on the table a file that he had been holding onto. And turned to his team. "Keep searching for Carly. She can't have gone far."

The team looked at their boss and nodded.

"Shall we...?" Tom asked Lindsay. "Yeah." She followed Tom out of the room both in search for the copper they needed to find.

Ted had been hauled up in his office for the better part of the afternoon. He hadn't wanted to step out of it. He wanted to keep the information he had to himself for the time, until the right detective arrived at work. His other detectives were working on smaller cases but ones which would keep them busy for the meantime. He needed his choice to be the right one. He looked through his glass office window and spotted her just as she arrived at the office.

"KATE! GET IN HERE." Hastings shouted into his office; the open door helped to carry the sound through into the next room.

Giving a look to Steve as she walked by his desk, she arrived a couple of seconds later at Hastings office and poked her head in.

"You wanted to see me sir."

"Come in shut the door."

She stepped inside and closed the door behind herself, wondering what her boss was going to say that he wanted to keep secret.

"I need you to go to Wales."

"Wales, sir. Why?"

"Carly Kirk has been sighted by an officer. Denton is already down there and I need you to join her but that's not all. A burnt-out car was found in the Moss Heath area of the city and a man's body was in the driver's side of the car. They are having to use DNA to identify the body which is going to take a while but the number on the chassis of the car is a match to Steve's stolen service vehicle. Now we know the person who had access to that vehicle is on the run. We are expecting the DNA of the body to come back as Dot's. It would make sense if it was. We saw what the OCG did with Carly or what they made us think with Carly. I believe that the OCG might have taken their chance to get rid of Dot but we can't be too careful."

"What you're saying sir is that if the body in the car is not Dot's then he still could be on the run?"

"Precisely. We can't be too sure and so what I want is my best officer to go to Wales, help bring Carly home and keep an eye out for Dot just until the DNA gets returned."

"What about...?"

"I need Steve here to keep an eye on him. They used his car so who knows what else they'll try to frame him for."

"I can trust you Kate. You're my best investigator. I can trust you to bring Carly home and I trust you not to mention a word of this to Steve, not about the car. I'll let him know when the DNA comes back."

"You can trust me sir." Kate nods her head and retreats from the room. Closing the door behind her and leaving her boss inside his office.

She walks across the office and is just about to leave when a shout comes across the office."

"Away already."

It's Steve. She steps back in and walks over to his desk, takes up the empty seat beside him and speaks to him in a hushed tone.

"I'm going to Wales."

"You too? Lindsay is already away."

"Yeah the boss wants me to help her out while she's there."

"You're both leaving me alone with a small case of bribery to deal with. Mark won't be happy."

"Oh god, I know. I need to go home and pack a suitcase just in case this takes longer than a few days. He'll be there when I go home. Not looking forward to telling him. I was hoping for a small case for when I came back but what the boss wants, the boss gets. Anyway, I best be going. I'll see you when I get back."

Kate got up and gave him a friendly slap on the shoulder.

"Best make it quick, I'll go stir crazy."

Kate laughed and smiled back at him as she left his desk and the office. Not looking forward to the bollocking she was going to get off her husband before she left for Wales.

Tom and Lindsay's short stroll lead them to the front desk where Lindsay had arrived less than half an hour ago.

"Seargeant Wilson can we talk to you please?" Tom asked through the window.

Seargeant Wilson looked up from where he was sitting at the desk in the middle of the room and put his papers down. He stood up from the desk and exited the room taking a few seconds to round the corner and meet up with them in the hallway.

"Can we go out for a cigarette? I'm due a break."

Tom and Lindsay both nodded and the trio walked out the front of the station to stand on the steps.

"What's this about?" Seargeant Wilson asked.

"I'm here to ask you about Carly Kirk and what you know about her?"

"You're accent. You're not from around here."

"Birmingham. AC-12 and nether is Carly Kirk. So, when did you first find out about her?"

"The owner of the Gwesty'r Adar phoned in to say that a young girl had inquired about a room. She saw the sign outside that said that she was offering a room in exchange for working as a cleaner in the hotel. Carly didn't have any documents and the woman noticed how young Carly was. She remarked about how it looked as if the items Carly was carrying was all she had and Carly said she was a traveller. Carly didn't get the room. The owner wanted it all above board but it didn't sit right with her how Carly looked like her grandchild who is only in high school so she phoned us to look into it. I went to the hotel and looked at the CCTV and said that I would keep a lookout for her. When I came back to the station though we got an email through about a missing person and to post the flyers around the building and the neighbouring street. That's when I recognised that the young girl in the CCTV and the missing girl on the poster were the same person. Carly Kirk. I went to see Prosser about the girl and from what I know he made a phone call to your lot and that's why you've arrived."

"Indeed I am. Do you know where she went after that?"

"No. It seems that she made her way back into town but after that it went to the detectives and if they haven't found anything then I don't know where she is. A description has gone out to everyone on the ground but there hasn't been anything back."

"Well, thank you for your time officer."

"No problem." The officer stopped smoking his cigarette and threw it to the ground and stamped on it.

"I'll just get going" He turned and quickly walked up the steps and back into the building.

"Where to next?" Tom asked.

"We should go to the Gwesty'r Adar. I want to speak to the hotel owner and see if she could tell how Carly was feeling after the incident. I think we should take your car since you know you're way around."

Tom nodded and they both got into his vehicle, driving a few streets up to the hotel. Parking the car beside the kerb they left it there and headed inside. Tom tapped the bell on the counter to bring them to the owner's attention. When she arrived Tom and Lindsay took their warrant cards out of their pockets and showed them to her when she arrived.

"You're here about that missing girl, aren't you?"

"Yes, we are." Lindsay said.

"It's a shame. I knew there was something wrong. I should have stopped her from leaving. She looked far too young to be travelling. She said she was going to be college student and was using this time as he freedom before she started in September. You could tell she was trying to make herself look older but you couldn't have been any older than a high school student. I have a grandchild around her age that's how I knew."

"How did she seem to you? Did she seem in distress or?"

"No. I mean she seemed sad about not getting the room but she seemed in good spirits. Said she was going to take in the sights and try her luck elsewhere. I told her to keep the things she had on her close as she was a traveller and you never know what could happen."

"What was she carrying?"

"A black backpack. I could show you if you like? I have the CCTV."

"Yes, please do." Lindsay replied.

The woman went through the bar into the next room and brought back a laptop. She clicked through a couple of the files until she found the CCTV of the day before. She played the video and clear black and white image of the room they were currently standing in started to play. The video feed from behind the bar which pointed at the door showed Carly in a casual outfit talking to the woman for a couple of minutes and then left through the door she arrived through. She seemed in good spirits. A few seconds later she was spotted again through the window of the hotel as she wandered down the street. The woman stopped the tape.

"For what it's worth, I hope you find her."

"Thank you. If she comes back, please phone the station to contact me here."

Tom slid his business card across the table and Lindsay was thankful for that and then they both left the hotel.

"Back to the station?"

"Yes, I want to collate information and see how your team has gotten on."

It was mid-afternoon when Kate arrived into Aberystwyth. Driving up the street the police station was on, that her satnav had directed her down, it told her she was here. The street on both sides was filled with vehicles. Up ahead though she could see a marked police car pull out of a space and she immediately indicated her lights and pulled in behind a red Audi. Locking the car after she pulled in, Kate took her bag out of the car and ran up the steps into the police station stopping at the front desk to ask for directions. A young woman with blonde hair overheard her.

"You're looking for Lindsay Denton? She's out at the moment but she should be back soon."

A movement outside of the police doors caught Sian's attention.

"Oh, wait here they come."

Tom and Lindsay arrived back at the station later than they should have. Tom blamed it on the start of the holiday traffic coming into the town. They just arrived through the front door of the station when they were stopped by Sian.

"Ma'am this woman wants to talk to you."

Sian raised out her hand and the woman who was standing side on and she turned her body.

"Kate, what are you doing here?"

"Hastings thought you could do with a bit of a hand with finding Carly."

"Sent you to spy on me more like." Lindsay laughed trying to pretend that it wasn't the truth. "You should come through; we can show you what we already have."

The group walked through the station to the investigation room. Kate stopped to look at the information on the board when they arrived.

"This is DC Kate Fleming from AC-12. She's here to help out with the investigation."

Kate turned to greet everyone.

"Mared, tell me what you did when we were away talking to the hotel owner?" Tom asked.

"We compiled a list of places that Carly might go to as a runaway that we haven't checked already. Hostels, homeless shelters and churches."

"That's good. I think Mared, it would be a good idea if we split up and one of us takes Kate and the other takes Lindsay. They have the knowledge; we have the know-how and together we might find Carly quicker. I'll take Lindsay around town while..."

"Kate, I think it's a good idea if you interview Superintendent Prosser. With what you know of her case I want you to find out why a TV appeal was held and if she has connection to any locals."

Lindsay lifted her eyebrows while saying the last part of the sentence, giving off a secret hint to Kate so that none of the officers in the room would know what she and Kate were on about. With their plans set in motion, the group left the investigation room and set off to do the roles that they were asked to do.

Arriving at Prosser's office Mared knocked on the door and at his reply. Both of the investigators walked into the room and sat down at the seats in front of his desk.

"Mared, what can I help you and..."

"Kate Fleming, sir. From AC-12. I have a couple of questions to ask you about our current investigation."

"Ask away."

"When did you first hear about Carly Kirk?"

"I first heard about her yesterday from Seargeant Wilson. He got a call from the owner of Gwesty'r Adar. She had concerns of a young girl who had tried to rent a room from her in exchange for work. The owner didn't go ahead with it but he said that she had a strange feeling about the girl and wanted to let us know about her. I believe that when he came back from seeing the CCTV, he saw a photo of Carly Kirk on a missing poster that he was to put up around the station and recognised her so he came to me with this information. I made a call to let your team know about the situation and made an executive decision to make an appeal to find her. After what I heard from Superintendent Hastings about how she was a vulnerable young girl and needed to be found quickly I believed that it was the best way to get her face out there. I believed that if she was already spotted then there would be a high chance of finding her again. Apparently, that does not seem to be the case because if it was then she would be found already. If she's hiding out somewhere then she'll be harder to find, is there reason to believe that she knows someone down here? And why are AC-12 investigating a runaway case? You investigate bent cops."

"Well sir, that's complicated. We don't know the reason why she chose Wales specifically but the reason why she has run and the reason why AC-12 is investigating is because Carly was being groomed by bent cops. They made her get blackmail on cops that they could use for their own gain; she was able to get away and hasn't been seen since so when she appeared in Wales, AC-12 were very interested in tracking her down and helping her before she disappeared again. This time for good if you get my drift."

All the information Mared was hearing just cemented the idea that Carly was vulnerable and needed to be found. She thought about her own daughter Elin and wondered if her life couldn't turn out like Carly's.

"And you believe that the appeal may have put her at risk?"

"Yes, there is a slight chance that may have affected our investigation but we won't know for sure until we find her."

"Well, I understand if you believe that I made the wrong call but with the information I had at the moment I made a decision that I saw fit. To help with your investigation yourself and DI Denton have our officers at your disposal. Anything you need to help bring that young girl home. Obviously, if you want to keep the net of officers close to stop information spreading then we can do that too."

"I believe that's the way we should go about it, Sir."

"Well I hope you find her and I wish you all the best." Prosser said.

Both women got up from their seats and left the room with the information they had just been given hoping it would get them one step closer to finding Carly Kirk.

Lindsay and Tom had been to nearly all the places on the list they were given before they had to turn back to the station. Lindsay was sitting in the passenger side of Tom's vehicle on the drive back to the station.

"I guess you'll be staying in town until Carly is found?" Tom asked Lindsay.

"It looks that way. I'm glad I brought a suitcase with me. it's in the back of my car."

"I guess you'll need to phone your partner and tell them where you are."

Lindsay laughed and Tom looked at her.

"I didn't mean to be rude. It's just, eh...I don't have a partner or a husband or a boyfriend so there's no one I need to call. The department already know I'm here so...oh, fuck."

"What?"

"I forgot to book a hotel and with the start of the summer holidays I bet they'll be booked up."

"Don't worry, I know someone. I can drop you and Kate off at it when we get to the station. I had to stay at it when my caravan caught fire."

Lindsay looked at Tom in surprise.

"Don't worry. No one was hurt. I was able to get a new caravan and I'm staying in one of the caravan parks just past the golf course."

The drive back to the station went quickly and Kate was already standing outside waiting for them to arrive. They quickly transferred both women's luggage into Tom's car, leaving both of the women's cars sitting outside the station where they would be safest and got inside his car. He drove down a couple of streets and dropped them both off outside the hotel.

"You can walk to the station from here but if you need to pick up tomorrow or if you need anything at all just phone me, Lindsay has my number." Tom said as both the women got the luggage out of his car and made their way into the hotel."

The owner of the hotel heard them come in and came over to greet them.

"Sorry about the mess, we're having building work done at the minute. It will be during the day but from what Tom's told me you'll be out when it's going on. Here are your keys to the bedroom. Both of them are upstairs on the first landing. Numbers 7 and 8. I've tried to make them as comfortable for you as I can. You must be hungry; can I get you anything to eat?"

After taking in everything Manon said and stating their order Kate and Lindsay went through to sit in the dining room. The décor of the room was outdated and shabby and Lindsay was glad to see that it was getting a revamp. The room reminded her of the B&B she had to stay in. Manon came back quickly with their dishes, sitting on the table and left them alone again.

"What do you think of Superintendent Prosser?"

Lindsay asked, stealing a chip from the edge of Kate's plate and dipping it in the tomato sauce. Kate gave her a look of surprise.

"He's cut from the same cloth as Hastings. He's nothing to worry about and the team seems the same way. They just want to help us find Carly and bring her home."

"Good, I'm glad that we don't seem to have a Dot situation down here."

"About that Lindsay."

"You seem like you're going to tell me something really bad."

"After you left a car was found in Birmingham, burnt out with a body in the front seat. They checked the car and it was Steve's stolen vehicle. Hastings seems to think that it's Dot's body in the front seat that the OCG have got rid of him after he ran, but we can't be too sure until we get the results back. All I'm saying Lindsay is watch your back, if Dot finds out where Carly is then who knows what he will do."

"Thanks for telling me that Kate."

The two women quickly finished their dinner and took their luggage upstairs to their room to get settled for the night. Saying night and closing the doors to the rooms beside each other. Lindsay made a start to taking her belongings out of the case and putting them in the wardrobe and drawers before pulling herself under the covers and trying to get to sleep. A constant dripping noise kept her awake for longer than she would like, she stepped up to look out the window to the heavy rain which must have started when she and Kate arrived. Looking up from where the drip was coming from, she made a mental note to tell Manon in the morning. Glad that she wasn't out there when it started.

Carly had been walking for hours. She had arrived in Aberystwyth earlier yesterday and without a place to sleep. She had tried to get a hotel for that night but with money running low she advised herself against it. Deciding to keep the money for food instead but here she was with no bed to sleep in far away from the centre of town with the only belongings she had she was carrying on her back. Then the heavy rain started, she tried to get shelter under a tree but the grass beneath her feet was muddy and slippery every time she moved to take a step. She spotted a dark house up a head and ran for it the best she could wondering if she made one wrong move that the ground would swallow her up. Upon entering the driveway, she saw the farmhouse in darkness and no cars on the drive. She didn't want to break in but if she had too, she would. She walked up the driveway when she spotted a barn at the back of the house. The chain that was locking it was loose and she believed that she may be able to slip under it if she really tried. It was better than breaking into someone's house. She didn't want to cause unnecessary trouble for herself. For her name to be said at the station and for it to be passed onto the wrong people that she was in town. She pulled the barn door back as far as she could and jimmied herself under it. Glad that she was now in safety and warmth. She pulled the clothes she had out of her backpack and hung them up around the barn hoping that they would be dry by the morning and curled up in a bundle of hay near the back of the barn. Closing her eyes, hoping to get enough rest and that she wouldn't be disturbed in the middle of the night. Her stomach rumbled and she hoped that she would be able to find some food for tomorrow. Not wanting to think about the struggles she might have to go through to get herself some money if she couldn't find it legally.


	8. Chapter 8

Did I just give Carly Kirk a back story? Yes, I did. Also, Carly is now older due to the 2 years that have passed with Lindsay being in prison.

Carly had been walking for hours. She had arrived in Aberystwyth earlier yesterday and without a place to sleep. She had tried to get a hotel for that night but with money running low she advised herself against it. Deciding to keep the money for food instead but here she was with no bed to sleep in far away from the centre of town with the only belongings she had she was carrying on her back. Then the heavy rain started, she tried to get shelter under a tree but the grass beneath her feet was muddy and slippery every time she moved to take a step. She spotted a dark house up a head and ran for it the best she could wondering if she made one wrong move that the ground would swallow her up. Upon entering the driveway, she saw the farmhouse in darkness and no cars on the drive. She didn't want to break in but if she had too, she would. She walked up the driveway when she spotted a barn at the back of the house. The chain that was locking it was loose and she believed that she may be able to slip under it if she really tried. It was better than breaking into someone's house. She didn't want to cause unnecessary trouble for herself. For her name to be said at the station and for it to be passed onto the wrong people that she was in town. She pulled the barn door back as far as she could and jimmied herself under it. Glad that she was now in safety and warmth. She pulled the clothes she had out of her backpack and hung them up around the barn hoping that they would be dry by the morning and curled up in a bundle of hay near the back of the barn. Closing her eyes, hoping to get enough rest and that she wouldn't be disturbed in the middle of the night. Her stomach rumbled and she hoped that she would be able to find some food for tomorrow. Not wanting to think about the struggles she might have to go through to get herself some money if she couldn't find it legally.

The loud sound of cows mooing in a field nearby awoke Carly from her sleep. She pulled her head up from the hay she was laying on, opened her eyes and shook the hay from her hair. She sat up trying to shake the pain from her body. It wasn't the most comfortable sleep she's had in her life but not the worst either and much better than being stuck in the rain and the cold outside. She got up from her place on the floor and collected her backpack from nearby and started to place her now dry folded clothes into the bag. She finished zipping up the bag and was about to place it on her back when a noise came from outside the barn doors. She didn't know what to do. Should she hide? Should she confront whoever it was head on? The door opened wider. She tried to move her legs but she couldn't. She stood on the spot like a deer in headlights, frozen waiting for danger to hit.

The red barn door opened to reveal a woman in her late 40s with blonde hair. They both stood there for a few seconds, not knowing what to make of each other. Carly wondered where this woman had come from, the farm was empty and dark the last time she looked.

"Are you ok? Were you locked in? Sorry, my son's an idiot. He must have not have looked when he locked up last night."

"It's your farm?"

"No, we're just looking after it for our neighbours. The people who live here are away on holiday. We're just looking after the animals."

"Oh ok."

"You're accent." The woman remarked. "You're not from around here."

"No, I'm not. I did live around here. Many years ago. I'm looking for this address."

Carly pulled out a piece of paper from her jean pocket and handed it to the woman. The woman took a look and handed it back to Carly. The woman lifted a bale of hay from nearby Carly and walked over to the door.

"That place that you're looking for."

Carly picked up her backpack and followed the woman outside onto the farm. The woman put the hay bale down on the ground and pointed up the hill in the near distance.

"See that house up there."

The house was a burnt-out shell of what it used to be and Carly could just about make it out.

"That's the address that you're looking for. A fire happened about 12 years ago now and it's been like that ever since."

"What happened to the people who lived there?"

"They didn't survive. It was arson. Apparently, the husband set fire to the house with him and his wife in it. It was due to domestic violence the police said. The kid got taken away by social services and was never seen again. The husband blamed the wife and said if he wasn't able to get her back then he would take the wife with him, and he did. Who are they to you?"

Carly tried to hide the effect that the truth of her family's life had on her but it was hard.

"My mum and dad."

A tear rolled down her cheek and Carly started to sob. The woman noticed the affect her actions had on the young girl.

"Oh, god. I'm so sorry. You must have not known."

She pulled Carly in for a hug and then pulled away. Carly wiped the tears from her cheeks.

"I'm glad. No one has actually told me the story of what happened to them."

"I'm sorry you had to hear it like that. You must be hungry; you've slept in that barn all night. I should make you something to eat to apologise."

"No, it's ok. I'm just going to go."

"Well can I drop you off somewhere, I can drive you into town if you need it."

"No, it's ok. I'd rather be alone right now."

The woman reached into her back pocket and placed a note into Carly's hand.

"Ok. Well, here's £20. I know it's not much but buy yourself something nice to cheer yourself up and make sure to get something to eat. Promise me, ok."

"I promise. Thank you."

Carly slid the money into her pocket beside the note and set off on her travels leaving the memory of the woman and her parents far behind her.

Kate and Lindsay had arrived at the police station after walking on foot and just stepped into the investigation room when Kate's phone rang. She took it out of her pocket and looked at the screen.  
HASTINGS

"It's Hastings. I'm going to need to take this. You go ahead." Kate said to Lindsay.

Lindsay nodded in reply and walked into the investigation room to meet with the team and see if they could get anywhere closer to finding Carly.

"Sir, what can I help you with?"

"Kate, are you sitting down?" Hastings asked.

"No. Why? Should I be?" Kate asked Hastings confused.

"Yes, Kate. Please do."

Kate looked around and the first seat she saw was Tom's desk behind his table. She took a seat. Tom wouldn't mind her using it for a couple of minutes.

"Kate. I've got some news and I'm sorry that I have to tell you it this way but Mark and Josh have been in a car accident. They've both survived. Mark has gotten away with scrapes and bruises but Josh is in ITU."

Kate went white. She nearly dropped the phone on the desk. She's glad she sat down because if she hadn't before now, she would have definitely fallen down. She wanted to hide her tears from her superior but it felt like her life was falling apart in front of her and she wasn't even in the same country of her husband and child.

"I understand that you want to be here and I suggest you do. Leave the case with Lindsay. She can handle it. Come home Kate. Be with your child."

Ted understood that Kate was probably thinking he was soft about now. He didn't have any kids of his own but as much as he liked to stay out of his officer's private lives, he knew that Kate would give it all to be with her child.

"Before you go, the results came back on the body. I need you to tell Lindsay that the body isn't Dot. Tell her to watch out. He could still be around."

"I'll tell her, sir. I'm on my way."

"Good, thanks Kate. Drive safe."

Lindsay popped her head around the office door and saw Kate coming off the phone call.

"What did Hastings want? You're crying. What's happened?" Lindsay said kneeling in front of Kate. Her hands resting on Kate's knees, in a comforting notion.

Kate wiped her tears away with her hand.

"Josh and Mark have been in a car accident. I need to go back to Birmingham. Now!"

Lindsay nodded. "Yes, of course. I understand."

"Hastings also said that the autopsy result came back. The body in the car isn't Dot."

"Wow, that means that he could still be out there."

"He could Lindsay, be careful." Kate said.

"Of course." Lindsay got up from where she was in front of Kate and moved out the way.  
"I'll walk you to your car."

The two-woman walked through the police station to Kate's car which was sitting out front from where it hadn't moved from yesterday and Kate got into the driver's side.

"Drive safe, ok and phone me when you arrive. I want to know you're safe and that Josh is ok."

"Thanks Lindsay." Kate said before speeding off in her car, desperate to be home.

Carly had been walking for a while, through small villages where no one knew her face. The strange looks she would get as she walked past shops and houses made her feel like she was intruding on people's lives. She kept walking though, with no direction, walking through the valleys with no idea where to go. She thought about going back to Aberystwyth but by this point she had no idea which way that was. She was lost, well and truly with no way to go. She walked over the brow of a hill to see an endless road far off into the distance. She thought about stopping. The blisters on her feet made her sore, the trainers on her feet were the only shoes she had. She looked down at her feet. The trainers she was wearing were getting worn down with all the walking she was doing. She hoped they would hold; she didn't have any money to buy sturdy ones. She carried on, walking on the road since there was no traffic and the only way since the roads didn't have any pavements. She heard a car horn beep from behind her and stepped to the side into the grass and dirt to let the car by. It stopped beside her and she was a little apprehensive. The passenger side window went down. She looked in, there were 3 passengers in the car all around her age or a little older. A tad scruffy looking, most of them in tracksuits or clothes of a varying nature even though the car they were driving was a top range Land Rover. It set her alarm bells off.

"You look lost, can we help you out?"

"I'm trying to get to Aberystwyth. Am I going in the right direction?"

"You are, but if you keep walking it will take you a couple of hours. We're heading there just now; we can take you if you want."

Carly wanted to say no. For some piece of divine intervention to happen but there wasn't. The gap of silence suggested what she meant.

"Don't worry, we won't ask for anything in return. Just anything to help a stranded traveller out."

Carly's walls went down. "Ok."

"Cool. Hop in."

The driver slapped his friend on the shoulder. "Get in the back. Let the lady in."

With a sigh, the front passenger opened the door and quickly hopped in the back leaving the door open for Carly for her to get in. She closed it behind her and the driver started the car and headed off speeding to Aberystwyth.

"I forgot to ask you your name. We might as well get to know each other on the journey. I'm Deano, that's Wilty and Pudge." He said, throwing his hand back to the men in the back. "What's yours?"

"I'm Carly."

"So, Carly, what are you doing in the middle of farm country with an accent that doesn't match. Family holiday or solo travelling?"

"A bit of both. I left to try and find my family but now I guess you could just say that I'm travelling the world, trying to find myself."

"I guess the family thing didn't work out."

"Well I found them. It just so happens that they're already dead."

"Harsh, sorry that happened to you."

"Yeah and now I have nowhere to go. No place to stay. I'm not going back to my foster parents and I only have £20 to my name. So, life is going well at the moment. I guess I should really give that money to you for driving me down here." Carly said, taking the money out of her pocket.

"There's no need but you're in luck we're going to a place in town. Everyone's welcome there. You can rest up before you find out what your next step is."

"Really! That's great. I'm truly thankful." Carly picked up his wallet from the front dash and put the £20 pounds in. "As a way of thanks."

Deano smiled at her and Carly smiled back. Not knowing what cruel twist of fate awaited her when she got back into town.

The farmer closed the gate of her neighbours' field behind herself and walked back to her pickup truck. She placed the buckets that she used to feed the animals into the back of the truck and pulled herself into the driver's side and turned on the ignition. The radio started. She was just about to pull away when a message on the radio caught her attention

"Officers are asking that the public keep an eye out for Carly Kirk in the Ceredigion area of Wales. Carly Kirk is a missing 17-year-old girl from the Birmingham area. She stands at 5 foot 4 inches and has auburn shoulder length hair. Any member of the public who has sighted her is asked to call Aberystwyth police station and quote reference number CK-260991/19715. The police are very worried about her whereabouts and ask the public to be on high alert."

"Was this the girl I ran into earlier?" The woman thought. "No harm in letting the police know." She pulled out her phone and dialled the number hoping that the girl would be found soon.

After waving Kate off at the kerbside Lindsay walked back into the police station and went to the investigation room where Sian, Lloyd, Mared and Tom were already in the room waiting to start the meeting.

"DC Fleming has had to return to Birmingham. She's had a family emergency. She sends her regards. Any new leads?" Lindsay said, taking a seat on the desk in the middle of the room.

Sian stood up. "We had a phone call from a farmer. She said that she found Carly sleeping in her neighbours barn this morning. Carly asked her about the history of a neighbouring burnt out and abandoned farm. The woman told Carly about the history of the farm and in the discussion the woman and Carly found out that her biological parents used to own it and died in a fire on that farm. The fire was due to domestic violence and arson by the father. The women said that Carly was sad and wanted to be left alone. The woman gave Carly £20 for something to eat and Carly wandered off out of the farm, she didn't know what way she went after that."

"Where is the farm?" Lindsay started to reply but was cut off by the sound of her phone ringing. She looked down at her phone to the caller ID.

"Sorry, I'm going to need to answer this." Lindsay clicked the answer button

"Hello."

"Lindsay, it's Manon from the hotel. I'm sorry to have to tell you this but I had the builders in and there's been an accident. Due to the rain last night, the roof has caved in and your bedroom is a mess. The fire brigade is here trying to get it fixed but they want to get all the stuff out of your room before they can. They need you to come and collect your things from the room. Are you able to do that just now? I understand that you're probably busy but it's a mess here and it would be a big help."

"No, I understand. I'll be round soon. Thanks Manon." Lindsay hung up the phone.

"Sian, Mared. Could you ask those questions please? I need to get my belongings from my hotel. It seems that the roof has caved in."

Everyone in the room stood in shock at the news.

"Don't worry about it. This is not the worst thing to happen to me. I've had worse."

"We'll go and interview the farmer ma'am. I hope it goes well for you."

Sian said as her and Mared grabbed their coats and exited the room.

"You too."

"I'll drive you there Lindsay."

"Thanks Tom."

The car pulled into a cul-de-sac and slowed to a stop in front of a house. Carly noticed that the street itself looked run down but the house the car pulled into was the worst. Rubbish was strewn about the front garden. A broken sofa, a dirty mattress and a number of black bin bags were just some of the items that she could make out. The semi-detached house itself was dirty and totally contrasted to the new top of the range Land Rover which she found herself in. Something was off, she felt like she was in trouble but couldn't get herself out. She would go along with it until she could find a way of getting out. She stepped out of the car and followed Deano up the path and into the house with the other guys following closely behind her.

She stepped into the hallway and looked around. The place was bare. Wallpaper was ripped off the walls, the place smelled of damp. There were no carpets on the floor, just bare floorboards and she was pretty sure she just stepped past a used needle on the floor. She held her bag close to herself and stepped into the living room. Deano sat down on one of the couches and she sat beside him. The tv was on in the background, with the sound down low but nobody was really watching. A tall slender guy walked in from the dining room and Deano looked up at him.

"Did you get my drug money?"

"No Jack. He didn't have enough so I took his Land Rover instead, it's sitting outside."

Carly looked at the guy and tried to hide the fear on her face. This guy was about to go off on one.

**"DEANO! I GAVE YOU ONE SIMPLE TASK AND YOU FUCKING BLEW IT. YOU STOLE THAT GUY'S MOTOR AND NOW IT'S SITTING IN FRONT OF THE HOUSE LIKE A BIG FUCK OFF BEACON SAYING COME AND FIND ME. I WOULD ASK YOU TO GET RID OF THAT BUT I CAN'T EVEN TRUST YOU WITH THAT AND WHO THE FUCK IS SHE?"**

"That's Carly. We met her on the way back. You don't need to worry about her."

The guy looked at Carly and then back to Deano.

**"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU'RE SO FUCKING STUPID. I'M GONNA GO TAKE SOMETHING TO CALM DOWN BEFORE I FIGURE OUT WHAT TO DO WITH THAT CAR. I WOULD ASK YOU IF YOU WANTED SOME BUT YOU CAN'T EVEN DO A SIMPLE TASK RIGHT WITHOUT FUCKING UP."**

"Does this help?" Deano took out his wallet and the £20 that Carly put in their early and held it towards Jack and he took it.

Carly's stomach rumbled. "If I knew the money was going to be spent on drugs, I wouldn't have given him it." Carly thought to herself.

Jack left the room and returned quickly, passing a bag of white powder to Deano. Carly looked at the exchange between the two men and looked down quickly.

"Forgot to ask you Carly, do you want some?" Jack asked.

"No, I'm ok just now. Thank you though."

Jack took a bag from his pocket and held it in front of her. "You sure?"

"She said she didn't want any. Don't force her." Deano said.

"Fine but she's under my roof and if she stays around then I'm going to have to put her to use."

Jack walked away from her and sat on the couch at the other end of the living room. Carly gulped at the thought. They would probably want her to sell drugs and if it came to it maybe her body. She had to think of an escape and quickly. She ran away from Manish and the others because of that and came here for a new start but that didn't seem to be working out as she would have liked it.

"Carly." Someone called from the kitchen and she raced out of the living room hoping for respite from the shouting that just went down. She walked in to find Pudgy standing in the middle of a dingy, tiny, dirty kitchen. Rubbish and laundry strewn about the place.

"Do you want a sandwich?" Pudgy opened the fridge and it was bare apart from a couple of items on the shelf. "We don't have a lot but I can make you a cheese sandwich if you want."  
"Yes please. That would be nice."

Carly poured herself a glass of milk and took the sandwich off Pudgy when he had finished making it. She took it back through to the living room, where she took her seat back on the sofa. Everyone around her were off their faces now and just staring at an antique show on tv. Carly felt uncomfortable. She quickly started and finished the sandwich and milk that she had been given. Glad to have anything to quell the hunger that she had been having for days. She sat there and started to watch the tv with them. It was all quiet until the local news started to play. Footage of a police appeal started to play and her face popped up on the screen.

"Is that you Carly?" Deano asked.

It was her on the screen. Details about her played on the screen asking the general public to look out for her. The cash reward being offered was the last thing on the screen. Carly didn't know what to say. What was there to say?

Jack quickly got to his feet and turned to where Deano and her sat on the couch.

"FIRST YOU BRING AROUND A STOLEN CAR AND SECOND OF ALL YOU BRING AROUND A MISSING PERSON. THE COPS ARE GOING TO BE ALL OVER OUR ARSES. MIGHT AS WELL JUST PHONE THEM AND TELL THEM THAT SHE'S HERE AND ASK FOR THE REWARD MONEY BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT I REALLY NEED AT THE MOMENT."

Jack quickly crossed the living room floor and lunged at Deano, grabbing him by the collar of his hoodie. Carly stepped to the side to get out the man's way.

"I CAN'T TELL YOU HOW DUMB YOU'VE BEEN."

Jack was up in Deano's face screaming insult after insult at the boy and Carly felt sad over it. This was her fault but this was also her chance to get away and she had to take it. She quickly bent down and grabbed her backpack from where she had left it sitting beside the sofa. Picking up the bag from the ground she could feel it knocking over the glass that she had left beside. The men quickly turned to see what she was doing and she was spotted like a deer in headlights. Deano tried to grab her but she picked up pace, leaving the living room and into the hallway. Hearing the words of Jack behind her saying "F*CKING LEAVE HER. SHE'S TOO MUCH TROUBLE." She didn't care what they thought of her, she had to get away. She ran to the front door, opened it and threw herself out of it and ran and ran down the street not caring to look backwards over her shoulder at the people she left behind but also not wanting to look behind her just in case they were following her. She ran until she was physically forced to stop a few streets away due to the energy it took out of her. She turned around, they hadn't followed her out and she was alone again. It was not the first time and Carly felt like it certainly wouldn't be the last time. She caught her breath back and started to walk again, towards the town centre, not sure where to go and what to do.

Pulling up to the front of the hotel Lindsay looked out at the street. The street was busy with builders, firemen and the police who were coming and going from the property. Lindsay and Tom stepped out onto the street and after showing their ID's to the cop in charge they were allowed to go inside the building. On their climb up to the top Lindsay spotted workmen in the room directly below hers who were putting up scaffolding to hold up the ceiling of that room and the floor of her own. It looked bad. They both climbed up the next set of stairs and were greeted by the sight of Manon and more firemen.

"Oh, Lindsay you're here. They're just about to go into your room. "

"That's good. Are you ok?" Lindsay asked Manon.

"Yeah, it's going to be expensive but that's to be expected when the roof caves in. I'm sorry about your things though. I don't know what condition they're in, they've been focusing on making the floor stable enough to walk on."

"Are you the occupant?" A fireman asked, rudely interrupting their conversation.

"Yes, I am." Lindsay replied and followed the fireman to the door of her room.

"You won't be able to come in for safety reasons but we needed you here so we could collect your belongings. Are you to point us in the right direction?"

"Yes. There's a small suitcase in the bottom of the wardrobe. Most of my clothes are in the wardrobe too along with some in the top drawer of the chest of drawers and some toiletries on top of the dresser."

The fireman went in and a few minutes later came out with her suitcase and placed it down in front of her. She checked through it and then zipped it up.

"Thank you." She said to the fireman as she walked back towards where Manon and Tom were standing.

"I'll bank transfer you my bill instead of you having to wait for the police to clear it, just to help you out quicker."

"Thank you, Lindsay. That will help out a lot."

"I hope it goes well for you Manon."

"You too, I hope you find the girl."

Lindsay and Tom quickly descended the stairs and were out in the car, with Lindsay's suitcase in the boot within a matter of minutes. They were both sat in the front seats of Tom's car with Lindsay having a mini break down in her head about how the case and her life was going. Tom noticed the frown on her face.

"You need cheering up. I know a good restaurant nearby and Sian and Mared are still out questioning the farmer. If they come up with anything they'll phone and let us know. After that we're going to back my caravan where you can stay. I have a spare room that you can use."

Hearing that felt like a weight had been lifted off Lindsay's shoulders.

"Thank you, Tom. That's a big help."

Tom smiled at her. "No problem but now we should go get some food."

They pulled up to the restaurant a couple of minutes later and went inside to grab a table. Sitting inside they ordered their food to their table and the waiter soon brought it over. Tom's phone buzzed on the table and he picked it up.

"What did they say?" Lindsay asked.

"They interviewed the farmer. She said that she found Carly in her shed this morning, nothing was taken. Carly asked her about the history of a house nearby and said that her biological parents used to stay there and she went back to find them. The farmer had to tell Carly that her parents died in an arson attack by her father. Carly seemed sad and wanted to be left alone. She gave Carly £20 to get food and Carly left. That area is mostly farmland so unfortunately there's no CCTV."

"So, we still don't know where she is and we're back to square one."

Tom sighed. "It looks like it."

Lindsay shook her head. "I just want her found. She has no idea of the trouble she's in if the OCG finds her."

Tom looked at her with a quizzical look on his face and Lindsay tried to gain some composure before telling her story.

"I was nearly shot and killed by a corrupt cop who has since went missing, I was put in prison because of things he did and I just want to find Carly and keep her safe even if it's the last thing I do."

"God Lindsay, that's terrible."

Lindsay nodded. "Yeah, it is. I've not had the best few years but being a cop is what I'm good at and what I enjoy. It's my first case back and I hope that for Carly's sake we find her because I have first-hand experience with what he is like and I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy."

Carly walked into the car park of the restaurant; she had walked here from the beach. There was no need for her to be here apart from the fact that she was hungry. She was hoping that she could find some food for her near the bins or to maybe even go in and ask. She had seen the sign on a flyer near the beach and knew that this was her next destination. The door to the restaurant opened and she stepped back into the shadows hoping that the couple would not spot her. Better to go undetected by not being spotted, she thought. She caught the couples faces in the light of the restaurant and recognised him. It was the police officer from the police appeal from this morning and the woman beside him, she recognised her too. She tried to recall where from and it she realised too that it was the police convention that she had worked at. She had met the woman in the toilets during the event and commented on her necklace. Carly wondered if the woman still wore it. She would maybe ask in the future but she would give herself another day to find a job and make herself a life and if she didn't then she would make herself known. To be honest she was getting fed up of just wandering around, she felt like she wanted some normality and if it took her going back to her foster parents to get that then she would do so.

Later that night Lindsay stared at the ceiling of the caravan and rolled over in bed. She grabbed the covers of her bed and pulled them closer to her, tighter to her body. She shivered and berated herself in her mind. Telling herself off for not bringing warmer clothes due to the harsh wind and rain battering outside. She sat up and pulled herself out of bed, her bare feet hitting the carpet and making herself feel colder. She pulled the duvet over her shoulders and went into the kitchen on the way to Tom's bedroom. The floor creaked underneath her feet.

"Lindsay, is that you?" Tom asked.

"Yes, it's me." She replied.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm cold. Is there anything you can do about it?"

Tom leaned over to his bedside table and turned the light on. He could make out Lindsay in the darkness of the hallway. Unclad feet and a sleeveless t-shirt under the duvet.

"Come sit down and I'll fix that."

Lindsay walked into Tom's bedroom and replaced the place that he was just in and Tom walked past her to go to his wardrobe. He pulled out a woollen jumper and a pair of fluffy socks and passed them to Lindsay. She happily put them on.

"I'll make a cup of tea for you to heat you up. How does that sound?"

"That sounds great. Thank you, Tom. "

On his way to the kitchen he stopped at the hallway cupboard and pulled out an old heater and brought it through to his room, plugging it in the socket. He pointed it towards her.

"This should help."

He went back through to the kitchen to make himself and Lindsay a cup of tea, not bothering to turn on any of the lights and returned a few minutes later, passing it over to her as he entered the room. They sat in silence, enjoying each other's company and the warmth the tea brought. When finished it was quickly taken out of her hands by Tom to the kitchen when he returned a few seconds later. He quickly turned off the heater, the temperature of the room had gone up.

"You're welcome to stay in here. It's still warmer in her than the rest of the caravan."

Lindsay nodded her head. "I will. Thank you, Tom."

"I'll..."

Tom pointed to the inside of the bed to where it connected to the wall and pulled himself into the bed, leaving the rest of the cover open so Lindsay could slip in beside him. Still wrapped in her duvet from next door, Lindsay slipped in beside Tom and he pulled his duvet cover over her. She was a lot warmer than she was next door. They lay together in bed, not touching but facing the same way. Tom looked at the back of Lindsay's head and Lindsay looked out to the rest of the room.

"Night Lindsay." Tom said.

"Night Tom."

They both closed their eyes and fell into a restful sleep. This is what Lindsay was expecting to have until morning but when she opened her eyes again it was still dark out. There was some shuffling in the bed beside her and Lindsay woke up in a fright afraid that something happened to Tom while she was asleep. Lindsay had rolled over in her sleep and when she opened her eyes the only thing, she saw was Tom's back. He was sat upright staring at the wall. She sat up too.

"Tom, are you OK?"

Lindsay twisted her body in bed and sat facing towards him. She could make out tears in his eyes from the moonlight which was peering under the blinds. He was scaring her now. She placed a comforting hand on his arm.

"What's wrong?"

Tom turned to face her. She recognised the hurt in his eyes. The same pain that she used to get in prison when everything got too much for her at night.

"Are you taking anything for it?"

Tom nodded.

"Where?" Lindsay asked.

"In the kitchen. The bottle behind the sink." Tom's voice crackled and Lindsay gave a small smile, she knew exactly what he was going through. She raced through to the kitchen, grabbed a tablet from the bottle of pills and a glass of water and came back through. She passed it to him and watched as he took the pill and finished off the water. She leaned over, placed the glass on the bedside table and sat back up. Seeing the pain still on his face she wrapped her arms around him and pulled him in close. She started to rub his back and Tom's arms went around her body. They sat like that for a while until Lindsay felt his body relax.

"I'm going to stay up with you until you fall asleep. Ok?"

Tom nodded and Lindsay pulled him down so they were both lying back in bed. Tom wrapped his arms around her and placed his head into the crook of her shoulder, she pulled him closer and gently ran a hand through his hand trying to comfort him. They soon fell off to a restful sleep until the morning wrapped in each other's arms, glad of the company they were keeping.


	9. Chapter 9

Carly had been walking for a while now, through the night and into the morning. Her luck at the restaurant hadn't yielded anything and now she was back in the countryside walking, taking in the view, anything to keep her mind of her rumbling stomach. She looked up from the ground, from where she had been watching her feet, take each step down this lonely road and rounded the next hill. In the distance she spotted a petrol station where a car had just pulled in and decided that was her next destination. She didn't have any money to her name but if the pain in her stomach was anything to go by then she would have to get something soon and if that meant "procuring" some food from the petrol station then she would have to do so. She was at her wits end.

As she walked across the forecourt the car that she had seen on the hill was pulling away after paying for their petrol. It was her and the store clerk alone now. She pushed open the door of the shop and the bell above it rang to show that she was entering. Carly could see from the corner of her eyes the store attendant looking up at her upon entering the store she gave him a quick glance but Carly kept her hood up and quickly turned her head away not wanting to give him more eye contact than necessary. She just wanted to get in and out. It wasn't needed though he was too interested in the daily news that was playing on the television near the entrance. She turned the corner of the back shelf and pretended to look at the items on display. Happy that she was out of view of the store attendant Carly quickly took her backpack off her back and opened it in front of herself, she snuck a look at the guy but he was still too interested in the tv to notice what she was doing. She quickly used her arm to drag the cans from the back of the shelf forward so that the ones in front dropped into her bag. The cans that didn't make it dropped to the floor around her and clattered as they hit the ground. This made her nervous. The store attendant lifted his head quickly. Carly tried to zip up the bag quickly but she was all fingers and thumbs. She quickly threw the bag onto her back, hoping that they would stay inside. She quickly turned the back corner of the shop and booked it towards the door. The store attendant shouted at her as she went but she was soon out the door and running, the doorbell trilling behind her as she went. She kept running down the road towards freedom and out of sight of the shop. She had made it safe and free. The store attendant would phone the police but she didn't think an old place like that would have any CCTV, what she didn't know was that the store attendant had caught her face as she went and compared it to the news report of the missing girl Carly Kirk that had been playing on the tv as she was inside. He got a quick flash of her face as she ran out but he was sure it was her and he made a phone call to the police just to make sure. He didn't want her to get away, he was sure her parents or whoever was looking after her wanted her back safe and sound. He also wanted his money for the goods that she stole.

Lindsay was awake now but kept her eyes closed. The light of the room was too bright and it was early. She wanted to stay under the warm covers for as long as she could. It wasn't as long as she would have liked though because she could hear the door of the room opening up behind her and someone entering.

"Lindsay?" Tom asked.

She rolled over to face him and rubbed her eyes open. She looked up to face him and pulled herself up the bed, the top of her body on show due to the movement.

"I made you a cup of tea." He said as he placed the full mug down beside her on the bedside table.

She looked at it and then looked up at him and smiled. "Thank you, Tom."

"I'm going for a run. I shouldn't be long. You could join me if you like?"

Lindsay looked at him in his running gear and picked up the tea. The bed felt comfy at the moment but she was sad that she hadn't brought her running gear or else she would have gone with him.

"No, I'm fine Tom. Do you want breakfast ready for when you come back?" She asked.

Tom smiled at her. "That would be nice. Anyway, I shouldn't be long. I'll be back soon. Enjoy your tea." He turned and left the room leaving her in the caravan alone for a while.

By the time he came back Lindsay was up and dressed and had been for a while. She had just finished making them both breakfast and was just finishing pouring the tea when she caught him returning as he ran across the front window. The door opened but he didn't enter. Instead taking a seat on the step to recover from his run. Lindsay quickly grabbed a glass from the draining board and filled it with cold water from the tap, she went over and gave it to him. He quickly drained it and she took it back from him and placed it back into the sink. She picked up the plates from the worktop and placed them onto the table. Tom entered at that moment, happy with his adequate cool down and they both sat down to eat. Talking about their plans and goals for that day of the investigation. Tom grabbed a quick shower after they were done while Lindsay washed the dishes. Stealing a quick glance of him and he exited the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist. When he exited the bedroom finally dressed, they drove to the station in Lindsay's car arriving less than 10 minutes later.

When they arrived later upon entering the building, they could see it was buzzing with activity. Something was afoot and they couldn't wait to see what it was. They quickly walked to the briefing room and found the team ready and waiting for them.

"What's going on?" Tom asked.

"We've had a phone call from a petrol store owner earlier this morning." Mared said. "Apparently he spotted Carly as she was in the shop this morning. He said that she stole a couple of cans of food and left the store in a hurry, leaving a mess behind her. He said he knew it was her because the tv was on when she was in which was playing the police appeal for her and that's why he called it in so we are going there just now."

From her vantage point on the corner of the street Carly could see the front of the police station without fear of being noticed. With her hood up, she kept close to the wall and tried to blend in. It wasn't really needed; the street was quiet, and she was sure she wouldn't alert suspicion. The small amount of people on the street were just going about their business without even noticing her. Her eyes were trained on the front door of the station, watching for any sign of movement from the building. Uniformed police officers were coming and going but she was watching and waiting for a specific pair of officers. The ones that she had been watching for a couple of days now. The man's face that she had saw on the television and on the front page of newspapers she saw around town and the woman she recognised from a long time ago. She was going to go forward and make herself known to the pair, let them get to know about her, let them take her home but her feet would not move. She saw them now, descended the front steps of the station and moved to an awaiting car sitting on the front of the pavement. A bright red Audi. She took note of the registration of the car. She was sure that it wouldn't be a hard car to find and especially after she looked up the investigator of her case on the internet. It resulted in many of the news searches of his caravan arson case. **DCI caravan burns down in suspected arson attack. **She suspected and was glad in the fact that he may still live in a caravan. It made him easier to track down. There couldn't be many caravan parks around here. She had spotted some up past the beach and decided in her head it would be good to search up in that direction first. A red Audi would be easy to spot in the gloom of the caravan park. She would go row by row until she found the right one.

It was a while later. Tom and Lindsay had finished their dinner a while ago and were now sat on the couch watching a TV programme. The sound of the TV was just white noise to Lindsay as she now sat a tad tired but ultimately worried about Carly as she watched the heavy rainfall through the blinds of the caravan.

"She'll be ok. From what I've heard from you she's a tough cookie and if they find anything then we'll be the first to know." Tom said as he rubbed Lindsay's back in comfort.

Lindsay turned around and nodded. "I know Tom."

Lindsay yawned. "I'm going to go and get ready for bed."

"I'm going to watch the end of this and then I'll be through."

Lindsay nodded. "Ok. I'll see you through there." She smiled as she got up from her place on the couch and walked through the caravan into the double bedroom at the back and closed the door behind her.

Carly was soaked through now. The light waterproof that she was wearing was stuck to her skin, not used to or made to be used in heavy rain like this. It was hard to see through the rain. It was blinding her vision and made her body shake with the cold it brought with it. She was halfway through the caravan park by now and wasn't going to give up until she got to the end, until she found it. She looked up at the next row of caravans and was about to walk on when something caught her eye. She wasn't imagining it was she. She walked towards it, hoping it wasn't a trick of the light, that she wasn't just believing it but as she walked closer to it, she realised that she wasn't dreaming. It was a red Audi. She checked the licence plate. It was the car. She walked up to the caravan and knocked on the door.

The wind outside was picking up now and Tom could barely hear the television over the noise, so he turned the volume up. Hoping that Lindsay wasn't disturbed by the increase of sound, but he was sure that the wind was louder. He took another sip of his beer before he was disturbed by a loud crash from outside. He sat his beer on the table and looked out the side curtains. Spotting the cause of the noise, which was his neighbours plant pot falling over, he chastised himself for jumping and laughed it off. He was about to sit back down on the couch when a knock on the door disturbed him from his thoughts. Tom quickly turned his head to see the cause of the noise. Spotting a figure in the reflection of the glass he went over to open it, surprised at the time of this person's arrival but also realising it must be important for them calling at this time at night. Opening the door and looking down at the figure he was surprised to see who it was. She was soaked through from head to toe.

"Carly, come in." He said.

She quickly walked up the steps into his home and stood in the living room, kind of sad that she was causing a puddle in the middle of the carpet.

"Lindsay, can you come here a minute?"

Lindsay had been busy in the bedroom when she heard Tom shout on her. Taking her makeup off, applying a skincare routine from the items she had bought at the shops at the weekend. She had also changed into her pyjamas and was ready to get into bed when she had heard him call. She wondered the cause of it and left the room, shutting the door behind her.

"Did you shout on me?"

Lindsay stopped in her tracks. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. It was real. The girl she had spent all this time searching for was right in front of her. She walked closer to her and smiled at the young girl.

"Carly? I'm Detective Inspector Lindsay Denton from AC-12. We've been looking for you."

"I know, that's why I came here tonight."

"We're glad you have." Lindsay took in Carly's situation. "You're soaked through. Why don't we get you a nice hot shower and then you can get changed into some clean dry clothes? Have you eaten yet?"

Carly shook her head.

"We've some left over lasagne, if you'd like some?"

"That would be nice."

"Ok, I'll go get you a towel."

Lindsay quickly left the room and came back a few seconds later with two towels and some new clothes of hers that Carly could change into. She met Carly in the bathroom.

"There's soap and shampoo in there that you can use. The left switch is to turn it on, and the right switch is for the heat. Here's some clothes for you and when you come out just hand me yours and we can hang them up to dry."

"Thank you." Carly said.

Lindsay smiled back at her and wiped some wet hair out of her face.

"We're just glad you're safe. The lasagne shouldn't be too long and when you come out you can tell us what you've been up to."

Carly went into the bathroom and shut the door behind her leaving Tom and Lindsay together. Lindsay walked over to him and he welcomed her with open arms, dropping a kiss on her forehead.

"She's back, she's safe." Lindsay smiled with tears in her eyes. "I can't believe it."

Tom laughed. "You better believe it, she's just next door. I'll start dinner."

The bathroom door opened, and the steam escaped into the room. Carly emerged into the galley kitchen with her wet clothes in her arms, wearing an oversized t-shirt and black pair of leggings that belonged to Lindsay, her hair wet. Lindsay got up from where she had been sitting on the sofa and walked over, taking them from Carly.

"Do you have a hairdryer?" Carly asked.

"Bedroom at the end, beside the mirror and there will be a brush sitting beside it for you to use.

Carly opened the door and entered the room. Upon entering she realised that this room had been intensely used. Both sides of the bed had been slept in. There was a small suitcase placed beside the bed. Both cupboard doors were open and revealed both men's and women's clothes hanging on the rail. A pair of women's boots sat array at the side of the bed and the bedside table had 2 pill bottles and a glass sat on top. Turning around to face the mirror she could see on the desk under it Lindsay's makeup and an array of her skin products. She took the hairdryer and brush from the desk and used it to dry her hair. Returning to the living room when it was done.

"You're just in time. Dinner's ready." Lindsay said and Carly took a seat where it had just been placed along with a drink. Lindsay and Tom taking a seat on the other side of the table.

"Where have you been?" Tom asked.

"Around." Carly said shovelling a spoonful of food into her mouth, more than she could handle before washing it down with milk.

"Slow down." Lindsay said. "You'll get indigestion." Lindsay laughed it off but inside her heart she was concerned. Carly was acting as if she hadn't seen food in a long while and it worried Lindsay.

"We interviewed the farmer who saw you in her neighbour's farm." Tom said.

"Yeah, that was a bust. I thought finally that I might be able to find my real family, but the world had other plans for me."

Lindsay smiled sadly at Carly's thought. This girl had already been through so much at her young age. She just wanted to protect this girl like any mother would. Like her mother did for her.

"I'm going to phone the station." Tom said as he got up from the table. Lindsay watched as Carly finished off all the food on her plate and finished off her drink quickly after. Absentmindedly listening in to the conversation that Tom was having on the phone.

"Oh right, OK." Tom sighed and clicked the button to hang up.

Lindsay turned around in her seat to face him. That conversation didn't sound good, she thought.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

"Some people have come into the station to ask where Carly is. The station doesn't feel it's safe to take you there just now so they want us to stay put. A patrol car will be doing rounds through the night, just to check on us and be sure that we're safe."

Lindsay could see that Carly was frightened. She placed a hand on hers.

"Don't be worried. If they are asking where you are it means that they can't find you. You are safe here with us and we'll drive back tomorrow. We will take every precaution to make sure that you are safe. OK?"

"Yeah." Carly replied.

"Good."

"Can I go to bed now?"

"Yeah, I've put some extra blankets on your bed, it can get quite cold at night. Just in case you want to use them and we'll get you up at 10am tomorrow. How does that sound?"

"That sounds good." Carly turned to go into her room. "Where will you be sleeping?" She asked a generalised question to them both.

"We'll be sleeping next door just if you need us." Lindsay said pointing to the bedroom.  
"I'll be sleeping out here to protect you both." Tom said.

Lindsay and Tom looked at each other when they realised both their stories didn't add up.

"Well, night." Carly said closing the door to her room, leaving them both to deal with the awkward conversation.

"You don't have to sleep out here, you know. We'll only be next door. If anything happens then we will hear it. Also, the bed in there is comfier than you sleeping in here."

"That is true." Tom said agreeing with Lindsay. "I think I will, if that's ok with you?"

"Of course, it is."

"You go through. I'll be in soon; I'll need to clear up in here."

"I can't go yet; I still need to hang Carly's clothes up to dry." Lindsay said. It was partly true; she did have Carly's things to hang up but now that Carly was staying, she wanted to make sure that nothing fishy was going on. She was sure that Tom wasn't that type of person but after the Mike Dryden situation, she had doubts about everyone. She wanted to make sure that he wasn't that type. Lindsay walked over to the sofa where Carly had left her bag. Tom took the dishes that were left on the table and started to wash them. Lindsay looked through Carly's bag picking out the wet clothing that Carly had brought with her. She held the first t-shirt up to her nose and smelt it.

"I think I'll need to wash them first. Do you have any...?"

"There's an extra basin under the sink and some washing powder."

Lindsay crossed the room to get them and filled up the basin with water returning to her place in the living room. Taking each item and giving it a wash before hanging up on the clothes horse to dry. She hadn't realised she had come to the end until her hand went into the bag and hit something hard instead of the soft clothes that she had been used to taking out. She sat herself up and looked inside the bag. Pulling out the metal cans that had been stolen from the petrol station earlier that day.

"Tom." She held a can aloft and Tom turned around to look at it when she called his name.

"We'll talk to her about it tomorrow. Here." Tom went into the cupboard underneath the sink, pulled out a carrier bag and threw it at Lindsay. She quickly caught it and took the rest of the cans out of the bag, placed it into the carrier and tied it up leaving it sitting at the bottom of the couch.

"You finished?" Tom asked as he drained the sink. Lindsay nodded. "Come on then."

Making sure that everything was off and that the doors were locked. Lindsay and Tom quietly made their way to the bedroom. Lindsay finished up her skincare routine while Tom changed behind her. They both knew that the other was looking but didn't say anything out loud. When Lindsay was finished, she placed the bottle back on the shelf and turned around to find Tom already in bed. The cover being held up to invite her in. She slid in beside him and she pulled the cover around herself.

Tom and Lindsay had been laying there for a while, eyes open each of them looking at the other. The moonlight slipped out from under the curtain, illuminating their faces and making it hard to sleep.

"What are you thinking about?" Tom whispered to Lindsay. Aware of how thin the walls were.

"Carly." Lindsay whispered back.

"You've got her. She's next door. She's safe and you are taking her home tomorrow. That's an amazing feat, Lindsay and you should be proud?"

"I know. I am." Lindsay smiled. She put her head into the pillow, trying to hide the pride on her face.

Tom placed his hand under her chin and pulled it up towards him so that he was facing her.

They stayed like that for what felt like ages, but had only been a couple of seconds. Wondering who was going to make the first move. Lindsay did. She moved her head forwards towards Tom's and before making contact she pulled away.

"Sorry, I shouldn't have. I'm probably misreading things."

"No, you weren't. You could have. I would have liked you to. We probably shouldn't do anything more though. The walls are very thin."

They both giggled at the comment and moved forward, closer until their lips were touching. They kissed, hands roamed until they both knew they we're going too far for the environment and pulled away.

"Come here." Tom stretched his right arm out across the pillow that currently held Lindsay and she scooted forward, closer to him, closer to his body and lay her head near his. They stayed like that for a while until it got too uncomfortable and Lindsay turned to face the direction that he was facing. Tom slipped his left arm around her body and intertwined his fingers with her, pulling her body close to his. He dropped a kiss on her head and closed his eyes.

"Night Lindsay."

She closed hers.

"Night Tom."


	10. Chapter 10

The smell of cooked breakfast wafted into the room where Lindsay was busy getting ready. She looked at the clock for the first-time after getting up. It was nearing 10am and Lindsay had spent the better part of the hour packing her belongings back into her suitcase. The room was clean now. The bed was made, the wardrobe doors closed and her makeup removed from the desk. A stark contrast to the mess it was in when they were busy trying to find Carly. Most of that time had been spent at the station and anytime spent at the caravan was to eat or sleep, entirely focused on the case. Trying to find Carly and bring her home, but now she was or was going back and Lindsay could go back to work in AC-12. Spending her time focusing on catching bent cops and routing out the criminal underworld attached to them. Especially now since she saw what they did to Carly. Every minute spent in jail wondering how she would orchestrate their downfall when she got out and how she could help Carly and every other victim get out from under their filthy hands. She finished doing up the final buttons of her shirt, grabbed her suitcase and wheeled it out of the room and into the kitchen.

"Something smells good." Lindsay said, placing down her suitcase and walking over to him.

He reached out to her, put his arm around her waist and kissed her on the cheek.

"Good because it's nearly ready."

"Is Carly up yet?"

"No, she hasn't been out. I did shout but I don't think she heard me."

"I'll do it. You plate the food up."

Lindsay turned away from Tom and opened the door to Carly's room. She could see the girl still fast asleep under the covers. She leaned over and lifted the cover off her foot, grabbed it and gave it a shake.

"Carly, it's past 10am. You need to get up. We need to leave soon. We need to meet the police escorts at the station."

"10 more minutes. Please." Lindsay could hear Carly's muffled voice from under the cover.

"No. Now!" Lindsay left the room and came back with some of Carly's dry clothes for her to wear. She placed them on the bed beside Carly. "I'll leave these here for you to change into but I want to see you ready and dressed and out here in 5. Breakfast is ready and it will get cold."

She could hear the girl huff under the covers at the directions she was given. She replaced the cover on the bed and left the room closing the door behind her. Noticing Tom sitting at the dining room table with the plates already placed down she went and sat beside him.

"How is she?"

"She'll be out soon. How are the police convoy arrangements coming along?"

"Good. We'll go to the station and meet them there and then you will travel with them until you meet the border and then you'll be met by your constabulary who will then drive you back. Don't worry it's all sorted."

"Good."

At that moment the door behind Lindsay opened as Carly came out of her room, now dressed and ready to face the day. She was holding Lindsay's folded clothes in her hands.

"What should I do with these?" She asked.

"You can keep them. Pass them to me and I'll put them into your bag. Sit down and eat."

Lindsay got up from the table and took the clothes from Carly. Carly took her place at the table and started to eat the breakfast prepared for her. Lindsay walked over to the sofa and started to pick Carly's clothes off of the clothes horse, fold them and put them in her bag. She placed the bag on the floor to zip it up and saw the plastic bag from yesterday. She picked it up.

"I found this in your bag yesterday."

Carly looked up from the table towards Lindsay. Her mouth agape. She had no idea how to explain how the events of the last few days came to be.

"We already know. The petrol station manager has been interviewed. We understand why you did it but we are going to have to go there to apologise to him and explain why you did it, give them his property back and hope that he drops the complaint. You understand?"

Carly nodded. "Sorry."

Lindsay came back to the table. "I want you to understand that there's no need to do that now or anything you ever did before for those men. They're adults and shouldn't be treating you like that. It's illegal and wrong and their conduct is disgraceful. You're a teenager Carly. You should be worrying about boys your own age, working towards getting into university and choosing a prom dress. You shouldn't be growing up before your time or having to do anything illegal to survive. I'll do everything in my power to help you get out. OK."

Carly nodded, tears visibly running down her face. Lindsay stood up and went around to the other side of the table. She sat down beside Carly and pulled her into her arms to give the young girl a comforting hug. Carly accepted and rested her head under Lindsay's chin. Lindsay rubbing small circles on her back to try and calm her down. They soon split apart and Carly dried her tears.

"We're going to pack the car. You finish eating your breakfast. We will come and get you when we're finished."

Lindsay and Tom stood up and started to get everything together for the journey. Carly joined them soon after leaving the breakfast dishes in the basin, which Tom would wash later when he got back. A short while later, with all their belongings collected, Tom locked up the caravan and got into the passenger side of Lindsay's car where Lindsay and Carly were ready and waiting on him. Lindsay pulled away; the trio ready and eager to start the short journey to the station and the long journey home.

It was a few minutes later when they arrived on the B road heading towards the city centre. Traffic on the road was light and had barely, if any, cars. It was after the breakfast time rush and the lunchtime holiday traffic hadn't started to build just yet. They were getting closer to the centre now. The tree lined road going steadily by the window. As they turned the corner of the road, both Tom and Lindsay spotted a car driving towards. It was on the other side of the road so they weren't too worried at first but it went over the speed limit and was quickly accelerating towards them. It was within touching distance within seconds and had veered across the road into her lane. There was no time to tell the others to react, she did what she knew, what she expected other more experienced coppers who had an advanced driving certificate to do, what she did that fateful day when her world had broken apart, she grabbed the steering wheel tightly and made a sharp left turn. The green of the bushes was all they could see in her windscreen and suddenly the front of the car was inside it. She was sure she blacked out for a second because when she opened her eyes her face was leaning on the steering wheel. She groggily picked up her head and a searing pain came through it. She placed a hand on her temple to try and stem it but it didn't seem to work. Her vision became blurred and tried to move in her seat but was pinned in place by the seatbelt. She turned to her left and put her arm out to Tom who was sat beside her. She shook him gently but he didn't move, his face firmly planted on the dashboard. Blood dripping down his face from what she could only expect to be from a broken nose. She lifted her head up to look in the front mirror of the car to see if she could see Carly sitting behind her but she could only see the seatbelt stretched forward. She could only expect that Carly was still in it but had been thrown forward into the gap between the seat. She saw a flash on her right from outside. She turned her head as quickly as she could to see what was going on. She wanted to get out and shout at the other driver who caused this but she couldn't. She hoped that they were still there and that they were coming over to see if they needed help. What she didn't expect to see was a man in a motorcycle helmet quickly striding over to the car. Her neck was in pain, she turned her head back around and sat straight in the seat looking out towards the bush they were firmly planted in. The backdoor opened. She could hear Carly's seatbelt unclick and screaming. She wanted to calm the girl, expected the screaming to be down to something she had broken while in the accident but the screams grew louder but at the same time quieter. She turned her head quickly to the right to look out her side window. In a matter of seconds Carly had been taken out of the car and was currently being dragged backwards across the road. This wasn't someone coming to help, it quickly clicked in Lindsay's head that this was a kidnapping. She quickly turned back to Tom who was of no help as he was still out cold. She forcefully pushed down on her seatbelt and after a couple of pushes it gave way. She pulled the lever to the door and pushed herself out only to find herself on the tarmac. She had fallen out and pushed herself off the ground. The next few steps she stumbled across the road to the car that had caused this. She threw a hand down on the bonnet to steady herself and upon looking up she found herself staring at someone she never expected to see again.

"Dot." She gasped.

Lindsay looked behind him now in the car and could see Carly being tightly grasped by a muscular white male in his 40s. She looked back to Dot who was in the driver's seat and suddenly the car had moved from under her. Dot had put the car in reverse and she had stumbled forward, her body trying to keep her balance. She stumbled forward, her body trying to keep her balance. Dot put the car into first and pressed on the pedal. The car sped forward and that's all Lindsay could see as she hit the front bonnet and blacked out. Tom watched from his view at the back of the car as Lindsay went up the bonnet, rolled over the top of the car and came down to the ground with a sickening crack. The vehicle sped away as Tom made his way over to Lindsay, as quickly as he could due to the pain in his ankle. He brushed the hair from her face and saw as her eyes were tightly shut, blood now pooling around her head. He quickly went into the pocket of his jacket in search for his phone and when he found it, he quickly dialled 999. Relaying the information of what had just happened to the operator who then dispatched an ambulance to his location. He heard the sirens in the distance, quiet but getting louder as they drove closer. He looked down at Lindsay and hoped she could hang on long enough.

As the ambulance arrived, so did the traffic police and his team after they heard what had happened. He watched as the paramedics quickly got out the ambulance and ran over to Lindsay to help out. He stepped back to let them get on with it. Mared, Sian and Llyod got out of their vehicle and ran over to Tom. He was in a daze and could not hear anything that anyone was saying to him. Just watching everyone around him but not taking anything in.

"Tom." Mared shook him by the shoulders

He snapped out of it. He looked at her.

"What happened?" She asked

"Carly's been kidnapped."

The trio looked at each other in horror at the revelation.

"Is this man coming with us?" The paramedic asked.

"Yes. He is." Mared shouted back.

"Tom, I need you to go to the hospital. I'll be here trying to make sense of it all. Most of all, be there for Lindsay. OK?"

"I'll come to the hospital to get your statement sir." Llyod ran to the car and got inside it. Getting ready to follow the ambulance to the hospital.

Tom nodded and turned towards the ambulance. Pulling himself into the back, he took a seat beside Lindsay. She had come to mean so much to him in the past few days. He took one of her hands in his and kissed it. Silently praying to whoever for out there to make her better and keep her safe. The doors of the ambulance shut and soon they were on their way to the hospital. Arriving a few minutes later. The doors of the ambulance opened when they arrived. Tom made his way down from it with a little help from the paramedic. He watched as Lindsay was wheeled into the emergency department and followed her until he was stopped by a nurse.

"You need to wait here sir. "You're in need of some medical attention. You'll be able to find her later. Someone will come to collect you but for now wait here." She passed him some hankies for his bleeding nose and went on her way. Tom took a seat in the A&E waiting room and pressed the tissues to his nose. Wanting the mess that he had just found himself to be over already. He spotted Llyod at the door and motioned him over and the younger man took a seat beside him, getting his notebook out.

"Can I ask what happened today sir?"

"Myself, Lindsay and Carly got dressed, fed and ready for 10:20. We left the caravan in Lindsay's Audi and drove the B road down into the town. Lindsay was going to drop me off at work before her and Carly were going to go back to Birmingham. We were driving the speed limit and had just passed the crematorium when a green Landrover drove towards us at an incredible speed. It crossed the road into our lane and Lindsay took a sharp left turn to get out of its path. We ran into the bushes at the side of the road and when I came to Lindsay and Carly were not in the car. I got out just in time to see Lindsay shout at the driver and then go over the top of the car. I expect Carly was inside and that she was trying to get to her.

"Any idea of the plate sir?" Llyod asked.

"It was a 14 plate but that's all I remember."

"What did she shout when she was in front of the car sir?"

"Dot. It seemed like she knew him."

"Thank you for this, sir. I'll go back to the station to update the others. I hope she gets better Sir."

"Thanks, Llyod."

Lloyd got up from where he was sitting and left Tom alone again in the waiting room. Hoping that it wasn't going to be long until he was seen.

It was into the afternoon when he got to see Lindsay again. Tom's injuries were dealt with a while ago and he had just been waiting on the news that she was going to be ok. He was shown into her private room on a recovery ward. She had been rushed into surgery from the minute they arrived and had only just come out. The doctor had told him the diagnosis, she had a broken arm which was now fitted with pins in it to keep it together. Stitches on her head to close a nasty cut that she had gotten from hitting the vehicle and a possible concussion but they wouldn't know more about that until she had woken up. The nurse told him to take a seat beside her and talk to her, which he did. She also said that talking to her might help her out. She wouldn't respond but she may be able to hear and that's what he did. He took a seat at her bedside and took her hands in his. She looked even more fragile than she had at the crash scene. She was now in a hospital dressing down. An oxygen mask on her face. Routine beeping of the monitor she was attached to filled the room. It saddened him to see her like this.

"Hi Lindsay, you gave me quite a fright out there. The doctors say that you will be ok, that you will wake up soon and I'm glad to hear that. The team is out there now searching for Carly. We were so close to the finish line, so close to getting her home but you don't need to worry about that, you just need to focus on getting better. I will be here to help you with that, a bit broken and bruised but you are the same way. That doesn't mean anything bad though, because it means we're fighters, that we can get through this and we will. Don't stop fighting Lindsay, because I won't either. I'll be here for you because I love you Lindsay Denton. You've come to mean so much to me and I hope you feel the same way too."

As he came to the end of his confession, he noticed he was crying. He took his hand and wiped them from his face. A knock on the door brought him out of his own world and he tried to make himself as professional as possible.

"DCI Mathias?" The figure spoke.

"Who's asking?"

The man took his police ID from his pocket.

"I'm DS Steve Arnott from AC-12. I drove from Birmingham as soon as I heard the news"

"You're from Lindsay's team?" Tom asked.

"Yes, I am. How's she doing?"

"The doctors have done MRI's and CT scans and they've come back clear. They seem to think that she will be ok but we won't know for sure until she wakes up. She got the broken arm from the fall off of the car. She's strong. A fighter."

"She is. That's our Lindsay."

A moan and a couple of coughs came from the bed. Both men turned around to look to where it was coming from. Lindsay was now awake. She took the oxygen mask down from her face.

"Hi Lindsay, how are you feeling?" Tom asked.

"Sore." She said.

"That's to be expected."

"Do you know where you are currently?" Steve asked.

"Hospital? Steve, is that you?"

"It is. When Hastings got the news, he told me to come and see you, see how you are."

"I'm glad he cares." Lindsay laughed.

Lindsay could hear where the voices were coming from but she couldn't see them. She tried to open her eyes but they were stiff and heavy. She threw her right arm out and grabbed onto Tom's arm.

"Tom, I can't see. Tom, I can't see."

Tom quickly turned around and hit the button for the nurse, using his other hand to run it over her face in a comforting manner, trying to calm her down.

"It's ok Lindsay, calm down. The nurse is on her way."

It didn't take long as less than a minute later she was walking in the room.

"What can I help you with?"

"Lindsay is complaining that she can't see." Tom said.

"Lindsay, you're awake. That's good news." The nurse walked past Steve and stood at Lindsay's bedside.

"I'm just going to have a check of your eyes." The nurse took a torch from her pocket and opened Lindsay's eyes one after the other and shined the light into them. They were reacting as she would expect.

"Lindsay, everything is fine. You've been in surgery where we hooked you up to some morphine. You're coming off that now so you will be slower to react and your vision will be blurred, you may also start to feel cold. You're physically ok but you're just feeling the side effects. You will be fine later. Is there anything else I can get you while I'm here?"

"A blanket then please." Lindsay asked. "And a ham sandwich and some plain crisps."

"The blanket I can do, the food will need to wait until after the doctor has come and done his rounds. I'll go and get you that blanket."

The nurse left the room and came back with the blanket and placed it at Lindsay's feet. It made Lindsay jump as she was still working out on sounds since she couldn't see.

"It's ok. It was just the nurse." Tom took the blanket and unfolded it. Laying it on top of the sheets, tucking it into Lindsay's frame.

"I need to go and phone Hasting's. I'll be back soon."

Steve stepped out of the room and into the corridor. Taking his phone out he searched his contacts for Hasting's office number and pressed dial. He heard Hasting's pick up soon after."

"Superintendent Hastings."

"Sir, it's Steve."

"Ah, Steve. How is Lindsay?"

"She's awake sir. A little bit worse for wear. A broken arm and some stitches. I asked the nurse and It seemed like she might still need to stay overnight for observation."

"That means that they will be a team member down then and they still need to find Carly. I have an idea Steve. You should join them, just until Lindsay gets back on her feet again. You're not really needed up here at the moment, it's the quiet before the storm."

"If that's what you think is best sir."

"I do. Tell them that I'll do the paperwork for them and send it tomorrow. Thanks for this Steve."

"No problem, sir. I'll go for now. Bye sir."

"Bye Steve."

Steve hung up the phone and re-entered the room. Both Lindsay and Tom looked at him as he returned.

"My boss tells me that I will be working for you now. Just until Lindsay is better. He said he will email the paperwork to your department tomorrow. I will need to go back to Birmingham to collect my things. Is 8am tomorrow a good time."

"8 o'clock is great. I'll see you tomorrow."

He was about to leave when Lindsay stopped him.

"Steve? I forgot to ask, how is Kate?"

"Her husband is fine; Josh is out of hospital. She's taking some time off work at the moment for obvious reasons."

"Since you will be here working on the case can you ask her to look after Bella for me."

"I will. She will be happy to."

"Bye Lindsay. Sir. I hope to see you up and about soon."

Steve turned and left the room. The conversation that Tom saw Lindsay and Steve having left him with questions he wanted answers to. He turned to Lindsay.

"I need to ask Steve something, Lindsay. I'll be back soon."

He left the room and rushed down the corridor to meet Steve again.

"Can I ask you who Bella is?"

"Bella?" Steve said. "Bella is Lindsay's cat. She just got her back recently. She was in the shelter due to the fact that when Lindsay was in prison, she couldn't look after her."

"Lindsay was in prison?"

"She hasn't told you about that yet, has she? You seemed close in there. I'm sorry, I overstepped the mark. I'm sure she will tell you in her own time."

Tom nodded. "I'm sure she will. Well I will see you tomorrow at 8, bright and early."

"You will. Thanks, sir."

They both turned away from each other, leaving the conversation. Tom went back into Lindsay's room and took the seat beside her again. She knew he was there. He would keep that fact that he knew her secret from her for now. He was sure that she would tell him but for now all he wanted for Lindsay to focus on was getting better.

"I'm going to need to get going soon Lindsay. You should try and get some rest. Maybe by the time you wake up the drugs will have worn off. I'm sure the nurse will wake you up when they bring in your food."

"OK." Lindsay curled up under the covers and tried to make herself comfy.

Tom found it adorable and as soon as he knew she was asleep he got up quietly and left the room. Rushing to the police station to see what they had gotten in the time he was away.

Carly was pulled from the Landrover and dragged into the old farmhouse. The air around her smelled of grass and sheep shit. The blindfold that had been placed over her eyes was ripped off when she had gotten into the house. It wouldn't have really mattered anyway as she had already seen the men's faces but it was more to hide the location of where they were keeping her. She was pushed upstairs into a bedroom by the muscular man, Dot looking on, happy with the effort that he went through to get her. The door slammed shut behind her and she turned quickly to try and open it again but she could hear a lock turn on the outside, she was trapped. She looked around at her environment. Pressing down the light switch beside the door she was surprised that the light actually turned on. The room smelt musty and the decoration of the room suggested that it hadn't been decorated since the 1980s. The overall light in the room was dark even with the overhead light turned on as the windows had been boarded up with wood, both on the inside and out, as to not to suggest that anyone was still living here. She sat down on the bed; she was glad that they had at least given her this. Along with a small amount of furniture. A desk, and chair, a bookcase with a small number of books and a box tv which would have been a staple in the early 2000s. She wondered if this had all come from a charity shop or if they had been sitting here for years as the items all seemed very mixed. She thought that she should settle in as she wasn't sure how long she would be here for or what the men outside would do with her. All she wanted was to be in Lindsay's tight embrace again. The only woman over the past few years who seemed to genuinely seemed to care about her. She wanted to be home in her own bed. She would never say anything bad about her foster mother ever again or do anything that she wasn't meant to ever again. She just wanted to go home.

The team and Steve were hard at work trying to find the men and the car that took Carly but due to the scene and surrounding areas being mainly farmland and villages and due to the fact that they did not know what direction the men drove in. The team were coming up empty on the CCTV front for the moment. A call had gone out to all units in the surrounding area asking them to be on the lookout for the car or Carly but nothing had come up yet and they had spent the best part of the day trying out leads and following arounds after their own tails until the phone rang in the other room. Sian quickly went over to answer it. The team waited in apprehension at the news. Could this be the news they were looking for?

"And you're sure it's her?" Sian said.

The other person on the line answered.

"Then send it to my email." Sian smiled at the news she's been hoping for.

"Well?" Steve asked. The other members looked confused along with him.

"A unit stopped at a petrol station, situated here..."

Sian went over to the map and pointed to where the petrol station was situated.

"One of the constables got talking with the owner, asked him if he had seen the car and the owner said that he had."

Sian went back to the table, opened up the laptop and entered her email. A new email notification popped up.

"They've sent us the CCTV."

Sian clicked the button to open it and played the CCTV. The video showed the back of the car as it pulled into the petrol station. The licence plate on display and Dot's figure as he got out of the car. He filled the car up with petrol and went in to pay, coming back out a few minutes later and getting into the car again and pulling away.

"And there's no other angles."

"No sir, that's the only one." Sian said.

"It's still great news." Steve said. "We know where they are now."

"Not really sir. That petrol station is the main one on the way out of town. With the time that has elapsed, they could be anywhere by now."

Steve breathed in deeply at the news. Any lead that they seemed to get, he watched as it got crushed in front of his eyes. Finding Carly was like a needle in a haystack.


	11. Chapter 11

The doctor had been round soon after breakfast and Lindsay had been given good news after yesterday's surgery. She would get her discharge papers soon but only if someone was there to pick her up and look after her as they didn't want her to go home alone on account of the surgery. Lindsay thanked the doctor as he left the room and picked up her phone. Unlocking it she opened her text messages and went to Tom's name.

"I'm getting discharged soon. Is it possible for you to pick me up? I'll need you to bring me some clothes from my suitcase if it's possible. I need clean underwear, a pair of jeans, a button up shirt, some socks and a jacket. I already have my shoes here from yesterday. I'd be forever grateful if you could. Thanks."

The text took longer to type than normal due to the fact she could only use her right hand. She pressed the send button and quickly locked it, placing it upright on her bed. Her lock screen lit up a few minutes later and she unlocked it again to read the text message.

"On the way. I've picked up your suitcase from the station and I'll bring it with me so you can choose what you want to wear. I'll be there soon."

She locked the phone again and waited. It was only a short while before he turned up at her door.

"Sorry If I'm late, I stopped off to get you these."

Tom walked into the room holding her suitcase in one hand and from behind his back he produced a bouquet of flowers and a card that he was holding in his other hand.

Lindsay smiled and took them from him.

"Thank you, Tom."

She opened the get well soon card.

"It's signed from everyone at the station. The send their wishes and hope you get better and I know we'll be taking the flowers home but I just wanted to bring them to help cheer you up."

She took them from him and smelled them. "They have. Thank you." She leaned over and placed them on the table at the end of the bed.

"Did you bring my clothes?"

"I did. Here you are."

Tom nodded and placed the suitcase beside Lindsay on the bed.

"I'll let you have some privacy."

Tom stepped backwards and pulled the curtain all the way around the bed to give her privacy.

Lindsay unzipped the suitcase and started to look through it for some specific items that she wanted to wear. It was a difficult job to do with the plaster cast on her left arm but she did it anyway. She knew it was going to be hard to change into her clothes, she might need some help.

Tom was sitting on a seat which was facing the door. He didn't want to invade her privacy without asking. He watched as a nurse came into the room. A shocked look on her face when she didn't what she was looking for is.

"Lindsay Elizabeth Denton?" The nurse asked.

"She's just getting changed." Tom replied.

"Is that my discharge papers?" Lindsay shouted from the bed.

"It is." The nurse said.

"I'll take them." Tom said and the nurse handed them over.

"There's also a prescription for her to take to the pharmacy."

"I'll make sure she does. Thanks."

In the time between Tom leaving and now, Lindsay had only been able to take the hospital gown off and replace the pair of pants that she had been wearing for a new pair from the suitcase. She picked up a bra from the case, put her arms through the holes and tried to do it up at the back but it was a too fiddly task for her to do when she had a massive piece of plaster of her wrist.

"Tom." Lindsay called out. "I need some help. Can you come in and help me please?"

Tom walked around the bed and entered through the side of the curtain he knew Lindsay was facing.

"I'm coming in."

Tom said as he pulled back the curtain to reveal Lindsay's back. She was turned away from her to preserve her dignity.

"I need you to do my clasp."

Tom leaned forwards. Taking the bra clasp in his hands and pushing them together. He placed the clips on the last hole.

"Is this one ok?" He asked.

"Yes, it is." Was Lindsay's reply.

Tom clipped her up and was ready to leave again when Lindsay stopped him.

"You might as well stay. I'm going to need some more help."

Lindsay scooped her boobs into her bra using her one available hand and turned back to Tom.

"I'm sorry I'm not proper."

"That's not a problem. I'm here to help you with that."

Tom picked up the pair of trousers that Lindsay had placed out. He rolled up the legs and bent down placing Lindsay's feet through the holes. She jumped off the bed and using his body, Lindsay placed a hand on his shoulder to keep her body upright as he pulled the trousers up her legs. When he got to the top, he buttoned them together from her. He picked up her shirt from the case and help her arms into the arm holes. When he got it onto her body, he rolled both sleeves up to her elbows to help her out. He finished by buttoning up the buttons on the front of her shirt and helped her to tuck it in to her trousers. He then helped her to get her socks and shoes on and then placed her jacket that he had brought over her shoulders to keep her warm. He zipped up her case when they were finished and picked it up. Lindsay picked up the flowers that Tom had brought off of the table and took them with her. Giving the room one last look over to pick up anything that they had forgotten and left the hospital for the quick drive back to the caravan.

When they arrived, Tom let them both inside and Lindsay went to sit down on the couch.

"I need to go back to the station to help with the investigation. You need to stay here and rest after what happened yesterday. We will do our best to find Carly but I want you to stay here out of trouble. OK?"

"Fine." Lindsay sighed.

"Watch TV or read a book. Just try to keep your mind off it. I'll phone or text with any updates. Phone me if you have any problems."

Tom went over to Lindsay, who was still sitting on the couch, and pulled her face close to his and gave her a kiss on the forehead.

She pulled away and looked up at him.

"Stay safe." She said.

"I will. I promise."

She then watched as he crossed the room, towards the door and then left, locking it behind himself. Lindsay pressed the remote to turn the TV on, sad that she had to reside herself to this.

Steve was on his way to the station in his car. He had been staying at a hotel on the edge of town and the drive back to the station should have only taken a couple of minutes. The thoughts he was having in his head about the case and the way it was going was stopped when the phone inside his car started to ring. Clicking the answer button, the ringing stopped and he said "DS Steve Arnott." to the caller.

"Steve. It's Hastings. I need you to come back to AC-12. We've just had a case come through. It's big. A body has been found in a suitcase in a river and I need you to come back and investigate. We're one officer down and I need my best man on this."

Steve turned the car around to go and pick up his belongings.

"On my way, Sir."

He didn't want to leave the Carly case but what he had saw in the last few hours working with the team, he was sure that they would be able to cope. He would phone them on the way back to AC-12.  
Lindsay flicked through the channels on the TV, trying to find something to watch. It was mostly trashy daytime TV shows, which she would be happy to watch if she was at home but not currently when an investigation was underway to try and find missing Carly Kirk. She wanted to be useful and try and help to find her. It was her job after all. Lindsay had even taken her tablets, which caused her to have a nap earlier but all she could think about was Carly. If she was ok, if she was safe, what those men are currently or would do to her. She turned the television off, throwing the remote to the cushions beside her. Picking up her phone, keys and jacket from the table she left the caravan. Looking up the number for a taxi and phoning it when she was outside, taking it to the station where she hoped she could out in any way possible.

On arrival at the station, she climbed the steps and followed the path to the investigation room where she knew that the team would be located. Upon arrival, she didn't get the reception she was expecting. The team looked worried, with Tom being the most concerned.

"What are you doing here? You shouldn't be here. You should be resting." Tom said worried.

"I came to help you out. I want to know what's going on."

"How did you get here?" Tom asked.

"I got a taxi. Please, Tom. Just tell me what's going on."

"We had a sighting of the car but unfortunately it hasn't come to anything. We are trying our very best to find her. I promise you that. After yesterday, you need to be resting. I know you're worried. So, am I but I'm also worried about your health and I don't want to be worrying about you when all my focus needs to be on her, you understand?"

Lindsay nodded her head. "Yes, I understand."

"Good. Now let me drop you off." Tom said grabbing his keys from the table.

"No, you should be here. I'll get a taxi back." Lindsay said.

"I don't..."

"I'm fine Tom. I am. You should be here focusing on the investigation."

"Promise me you'll text me when you get back." He asked.

"I will."

Lindsay grabbed one of his hands and run her fingers over his knuckles.

"Find her for me, Tom. Please."

"I'll do my best. I promise you that we are pulling out all the stops to try and find her."

Lindsay turned away, leaving the team behind her in the station. She crossed the street outside to go and find a taxi rank. She walked to the end and was crossing the side street, on the corner, when a man walking towards her startled her out of her daydream. She looked up at him to step out of his way when they locked eyes.

"Dot?...What?"

"Don't scream Lindsay. Don't make this any harder than it needs to be."

She heard footsteps behind her and quickly turned her head to the noise. The man behind her was the same man from inside the car.

"You know it's very stupid to grab me from outside a police station." Lindsay scoffed.

"It doesn't matter to you anyway. Not where you're going."

That scared Lindsay now. The thought that Dot had gone rogue from the police and the OCG and the fact that he could do anything to her now, scared her. She was about to scream out when a hand from behind her clasped over her mouth. Another hand grabbed her from behind and with the force over the movement it knocked her off balance. She fell to the ground and seconds later was being physically lifted off her feet and over his shoulder. She used her hands and her feet to push and kick him, to try and get out of his grasp but nothing was working. The next thing she knew she was being thrown into the back of a van. The jolt of her head hitting the metal of the floor sent jolts of pain through her head from where she hurt it yesterday. Her legs and hands were now bound with rope, her mouth gagged and her vision darkened by the blind fold placed over her eyes. The doors of the van echoed shut, and the car started to move as soon as both men got in. She could only hope that Tom would find out that she was missing and that he would find out soon as she had no idea where they could be taking her.

Tom picked up his phone again and looked at the home screen. Still no text messages from Lindsay, which was strange. She promised when she got back to the caravan that she was going to text him. He wondered if maybe she had fallen asleep as soon as she had gotten in and was not able to text him, or maybe worse what if she had become ill and wasn't able to get help. This thought played on his mind. Telling his team where he was going, he drove back to the caravan in a hurry, opening it up to find an empty living room. He searched the rest of the caravan, which didn't take long, making sure to knock on the toilet door and have a look in there as well. He brought his phone out of his pocket and dialled her number. Every time he tried it just kept going straight to voicemail. He was getting more and more worried now. He knew that she can't have gotten far without a car. There was a chance that she was at the shop on site but he had already stocked up on food before she got here so everything she needed was in the caravan. He typed in the number for the station and phoned it, he could hear Mared picking up on the other end.

"Mared, please tell me that Lindsay is at the station?"

"I don't think so. I mean I haven't saw her come back. Why Tom? What's wrong?" Mared said.

"I've just come back to the caravan and she's not here and if she's not here and not at the station then I have no idea where she could be. She hasn't got a car at the moment and she's not picking up her phone, so I'm worried about her safety."

"Tom, I'm going to go check the security cameras and see what happened after she left, just stay there Tom in case she comes back. I'm sure we will be able to track her down."

Mared hung up the phone on him and he placed it down beside him. He put his head in his hands. It took all his energy not to pick up his phone again and start phoning Lindsay back. He wanted to keep the phone line open for Mared to get back to him. He sat there and waited for what felt like hours, but when he looked up it had only been a matter of minutes. The phone beside him rang and the ring tone took him out of his daydream and back to reality. The phone screen name was Mared's and he picked it up.

"Mared, please tell me that you have found something."

"You're going to want to come to the station to view this, Tom."

"I will, Mared but I want to know now. What is it that you have?"

"I'm watching the CCTV from the camera on the corner of the building. Lindsay walked out earlier today, crossed the road to go to the taxi rank and was placed into the back of a van. Tom, I'm sorry to tell you this but from the footage it seems like Lindsay has been kidnapped and from what we currently know I have a feeling that it may be Dot and his accomplice. I'm going to do some more digging into the vehicle but I think you should be here Tom."

"I'm on the way." Tom replied.

He hung up the phone and rushed out of the caravan, getting in his car and rushing across town to get to the station. Lindsay's life depended on it.

The van pulled to a stop and a few seconds later the backdoors opened. The smell of the countryside hit her nostrils and she breathed it in. It wasn't the nicest thing to smell but it reminded her that for the moment that she was alive. Hands clasped firmly around her legs and pulled her out from where she was lying on the bed of the van. She stopped at the edge and the man grasped the rope around her hands and pulled her out of the van but before she could hit the ground, she started to be pulled along behind the man. She pushed her feet to the ground to try and stand up but due to the fact that he was dragging her quickly and the fact that her feet were still tried together wasn't helping her in her plight. The ground changed from under her feet. From the soggy grass, that she was dragged over, to the tiles of a kitchen. She was pushed into a wooden chair and the blindfold ripped from her face. She held her arms up to the bright light as her eyes tried to adjust. She knew that the fact they were letting her see their faces meant it was bad for her future.

"Right Lindsay, tell us what the police have on us so far."

She dropped her hands from her face and looked at the muscle sat facing her. They were all sat at the kitchen table with Dot sat on the other side. Lindsay shook her head.

"Nothing." Lindsay said.

The man slammed his fist down on the table. The sound made Lindsay jump in fear.

"Nothing. I promise you."

"YOU'RE LYING." He yelled in her face. "FUCKING TELL ME."

The man lifted his right hand and slapped Lindsay across the cheek. The forceful movement brought tears to Lindsay's eyes. She yelped out in pain.

"You went to the petrol station. We got the CCTV but after that they couldn't trace where you went to. I promise you that's all I know."

"She's lying." The heavy said. He turned to Dot. "What do you think we should do with her?"

Dot took his gun, which he had been storing in the waistband of his trousers, and placed it on the table. Lindsay looked at it, knowing it was a threat. She was terrified. He had already tried this once before and she believed that this time he would follow through with his threat and make sure that the deed was done.

"Take her upstairs, let her stew for a while. The next time she comes down, she'll be getting a bullet in her head. You can pick a patch of grass in the garden and we'll bury you under it."

Lindsay was in shock. Her eyes bulged. She couldn't speak. Her life was in danger. Along with Carly's. If they would do this to her, then there was a chance that they would do it to her, what if they already had. It wasn't a thought worth thinking about because she felt like every outcome was just as worst as the last. The man in front of her bent down and untied her feet and then her hands before picking her up by her waist and throwing her over his shoulder. He climbed the stairs and Lindsay started to kick and scream, she knew that if went into this bedroom, there was little chance that she was coming out alive. The door opened and she was thrown inside. The door quickly locked behind her and she stood up from where she had been thrown on the ground. She used her cast to batter the door and gave up after a few seconds. It wasn't going to get her anywhere.

"Lindsay?" A small voice said from behind her and Lindsay turned. She couldn't believe who she was faced with.

"Carly?" Lindsay smiled. "Is that you?"

Lindsay walked over to where Carly was sitting on the bed and pulled her close in her arms. It was exactly what the young girl needed. She broke down in tears. Lindsay whispered words of comfort to the girl and she soon stopped crying.

"Is this where they've been keeping you?" Lindsay asked.

Carly nodded.

Lindsay looked around the room at the state it was in. The windows were boarded up, a faint smell of mould lingered in the room. Old flowery wallpaper was peeling from the wall. The light hanging from the ceiling was just a bare bulb. A small bookcase held some battered looking books and a small box tv was placed on a dodgy looking table which Lindsay thought might break at any moment.

"I'm here now, there's nothing to worry about."

"Does Tom know where we are?" Carly asked.

"I'm sure he will soon find out as soon as he figures out that I'm missing. They shouldn't be long." Lindsay said, trying to hide her fear from the young girl.

"I have a question to ask you Carly."

Carly looked up from where her head had been resting in the crook of Lindsay's arm.

"And I need you to answer me truthfully. Have those men downstairs hurt you or touched you in any way that they shouldn't have?"

Carly shook her head. "They haven't."

"And you're sure about that?" Lindsay asked.

Carly nodded her head. "I'm sure."

"Good. I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure that doesn't happen."

"I have a question for you. I've had a long time to think about it. Are you the same woman I met in the toilets of the police event I was working at?" Carly asked.

"I am. How do you remember back that far?"

"It's the same day that I took off so I remember what happened before."

"I do too. I was there when that happened. When you took off from the car park at the train station."

Carly looked confused.

"The man you were with was DCC Mike Dryden. He was my old boss and the man I was having an affair with. He was married and if I knew that he was that was inclined then I would have dropped him long before then. It disgusted me seeing him about to use you like that. The reason he kicked you out of the car is because he saw me. I didn't know that was going to happen afterwards but when you came up in the missing persons system a couple of weeks later, I made it my mission to find you. I even went to interview your foster parents but now that you are here, that I've found you again. I'm not going to let you out of my sight. We will make it out of here Carly. I promise you that."

Lindsay took Carly in her arms again. She wanted to hide her face from being seen by her. The thoughts of downstairs playing in her mind. She just hoped that when it was time that she would be able to keep the young girl safe.


	12. Chapter 12

The mobile phone vibrated across the kitchen table and Dot rushed over to answer it. Picking it up he listened as the person on the other side of the line described what he had to do. He listened intently to the instruction as the muscle sat at the table and watched it take place. He watched as Dot hung up the phone and placed it into his trouser pocket.

"That was my source at the station. **WE NEED TO LEAVE NOW! **They are on the way here. We'll go upstairs and I'll take Carly out to the van. You take Lindsay outside and do whatever you need to do." Dot said.

The other man rose from his seat at the table and followed Dot up the stairs of the house. Dot unlocked the door and soon they were standing in the room of the captives. Dot in the middle of the room with the muscle man standing at the edge, nearer the door.

Lindsay and Carly had been sitting in silence before the men burst through the door. They both sat on the double bed in the corner of the room with Carly sitting closer to the door. Lindsay saw the look on Dot's face, what was coming up wasn't to be good.

Dot strode across the room towards the bed, grabbing Carly by the arm and lifting her off her feet.

All hell broke loose.

"**WHERE ARE YOU TAKING ME**?" Carly screamed, trying to kick and punch her way-out of Dot's tight grip.

"**GET YOUR HANDS OFF HER**." Lindsay screamed.

Lindsay made a grab for Carly's hand but the girl slipped through her fingers. Lindsay stood up quickly and pushed through the small gap between the bed and the wall. Spinning around Lindsay pushed herself in between Carly and Dot. She lifted her left arm and brought the heavy plaster down on Dot's forearm. Dot pulled back in pain at the action and let go of Carly. Lindsay pushed into the gap and stood in the gap using her body to protect Carly from Dot.

"Stay behind me. Don't look." Lindsay said to the young girl as Lindsay walked her and Carly backwards, trying to create some distance between herself and Dot. Carly held on tightly to Lindsay's waist, determined not to be split apart from her again.

Lindsay watched as Dot got up from where he had fallen on the floor and reached behind him into the waistband of his trousers, taking out a handgun and pointing it at her. Lindsay gulped, she stared at Dot. She stood still on the spot, filled with terror for what Dot was about to do.

A gun shot rang out and Lindsay closed her eyes tightly waiting for the bullet to hit her but it didn't, or at least she felt no pain if it had. She thought that maybe due to the adrenaline running through her that she hadn't felt it but she could still feel the weight of Carly on her back, the grip of the girl's hands still tight on her shirt. Lindsay opened her eyes again and the sight in front of her terrified her.  
Dot was now on his knees in front of her. A look of shock on his face. Blood dripping out of the corner of his mouth. He wasn't dead yet but halfway there. Lindsay looked down to the space where she expected that Dot would fall in front of her. His gun had fallen to the floor and she was scared that if he fell forward that he might pick it up and use it against her. She looked back up to him and she knew that he had thought the same thing. Lindsay bent down quickly and grasped for the gun. Dot's arms went out too but she was quicker. She stood back up and pointed the gun at him. She would be lying if she said that she didn't feel power over him, because in that moment she had and she did. Dot had always been taller than her, one step faster than her and seeing him on his knees in front of her, his eyes pleading, life slowly pouring from him. She enjoyed it and also felt terrified by it at the same time. She had the choice and overall, she was still scared by what he could do. Her eyes tightened as she closed her eyes and quickly pressed down on the trigger. It was over in a fraction of a second but the blood spatter as it hit her gave her into another kind of distress. She looked down at the blood as it steeped into her shirt and down at Dot, at the blood and brain matter down at her feet. The fear inside her rose again, there was still another man in the room. She pointed the gun at him.

"**PUT THE GUN DOWN." **Lindsay shouted.

This had been Lindsay's first time firing a gun but strangely she wasn't scared in the aftermath. Her mind went back into police mode and said something that she expected other officers in her situation would do.

"**DROP YOUR WEAPON OR I'LL SHOOT**."

The man looked at Lindsay and was surprised by the mental strength that she possessed. He had heard about her from Dot and if he was correct then this was the first time that she had fired a gun and due to that then she would possess no qualms with firing a second shot at him, if she felt like she had to. Hell, if this was her first time then she didn't possess any knowledge of gun safety and might misfire at him. He had done this in the past. Damn, he was a regular at this. This was his job. Take the undesirables out if he was paid a high enough amount but this woman scared him and any way, he had just finished the job that he was asked to complete and he did not like to do more than that, it only caused more trouble than it was worth. He took the gun that he had in his right hand, kneeled down and placed it onto the ground, he then kicked it across the floor. It caused a noise to be echoed around the room as it hit the bed frame.

Lindsay tentatively stepped around Dot, using her arm to try and keep Carly close to her. She knelt down beside the body. Still holding the gun aloft but now more focused on the task of trying to find an escape plan. She kept her head to the side, trying not to look at the mess that had been created of Dot's body. His brain cracked open and the blood and brain matter seeping into the wooden floor. Dot's body is still warm to the touch but the life inside it was dead. Lindsay took her hand from Carly's and used it to push between Dot's body and the floor, trying to get a feel for his pockets to see if he had left anything inside.

When Lindsay let go of her hand Carly stepped across Dot's body to take a step forward to the man who had just saved them both. She felt safe now knowing that but knew that if he tried anything else to her then Lindsay would take quick care of that. She was still in shock, the events of what had just unfolded still not having truly settled in yet, she expected that would come later though. She had a question though, a question for one of her captors, a question that only he could answer.

"Why did you do it?" Carly asked the man.

"I do drugs, I do guns. The only thing I don't do is girls. Real men don't hurt little girls and anyway, he was getting too big for his boots. I just did the thing that other people have been wanting to do."

Lindsay had found Dot's phone in the time that had happened and slipped it out of his trouser pocket. She noted a crack in the screen and wondered if that had already been there or if it was caused by his body hitting the ground. She threw the thought from her mind; it wasn't something that she should dare thinking about. She leaned over his body and checked the other pocket, in which she found his keys for the car downstairs and took them to. She manoeuvred the phone to his right hand and used his index finger to unlock the phone, quickly changing the password so that she could get into it later if she found it to be locked. She quickly stood up again and grabbed Carly's arm, pulling her back from where she found her to be a little bit too close to the stranger than she would have liked. Pushing the car keys into the girl's hand she asked her to go downstairs and open up the car. Carly quickly left, leaving her and the man alone. Pointing the gun at him again, with more focus than before, she felt happy at the outcome.

"If you follow us, I will shoot you." It was a promise and a threat.

The man raised his arms into a surrender position and shook his head. Lindsay walked backwards keeping the man in her sight until she got to the top of the stairs. She then quickly turned and ran down them, hoping and praying that she would not hear the man's footsteps following behind her, she did not stop until she got out of the house and into the car. Finding Carly, already in the passenger side she jumped into the driver's side and locked the door behind her. Buckling herself in, she quickly turned on the engine and pulled away from the farm. She'd rather not stay longer than she had to. She gave the phone in her hand to Carly and asked the girl to open the glovebox which she did so. Lindsay placed the gun inside and closed it behind her, knowing that just now it was the safest place for it to be. Carly dialled 999 on the phone and it connected a few seconds later.

"Emergency services, what service do you require?"

"Police please." Lindsay said into the phone, as Carly held it up to her face. The loudspeaker making it easy for them both to hear. The phone rang out again and another operator picked up.

"Police, how may I help you?"

"I'm Detective Inspector Lindsay Denton. Myself and Carly Kirk have escaped. We've been held captive on a farm and I'm on the way to Aberystwyth police station in a green Landrover. Number plate BA14 RST. I need to be put through to DCI Mathias who has been working the case. I also have a gun in the car which I have fired in self-defence so I will need armed officers to assist when I stop."  
"No problem, DI Denton. I have put all that information on file. Stay on the line and I will connect you soon. I will also locate you using your location so don't be alarmed if a police convoy arrives. We want to make sure you're safe on the ride back to the station."

"Thank you for your help. I don't really know where I am at the moment. I'm just trying to follow signs back to the town centre but I believe that we are nearly there and we'll be back soon."

"No problem, ma'am. The team is ready and waiting for your arrival. I'll put you through to DCI Mathias."

The phone disconnected and connected again and finally she and Carly got to hear the voice they had been waiting to hear.

"Lindsay, are you ok? Is Carly with you?" Tom asked.

"I'm here." Carly shouted down the phone.

"Good. It's so good to be able to hear your voices. What happened? Are you both OK?"

"Physically, yes. Mentally...I'm not going to lie, Tom. I've done something I'd never thought I'd have to do in my entire career but we're ok for the moment. We're holding up."

Hearing those words from Lindsay's mouth, Tom knew exactly what she meant. It's not something that any police officer wants to do in their career.

"I'll get another station on the phone who will come and interview you both when you arrive."

Lindsay looked out her side mirror to see a marked police car behind her. The officer inside switched the lights and sirens on and overtook her on the small, country road.

"Tom, the convoy has arrived. We'll be back soon. I can't wait to see you and the team in person."

"I can't wait to see you both as well. Drive safely and I'll see you both at the station."

Carly clicked the red button and hung up the phone. They were both glad to hear someone familiar on the phone. Lindsay pressed her foot onto the accelerator to keep up in line with the convoy. Glad to see the front of the police station when they arrived minutes later.

Pulling into the pavement, Lindsay stopped the car and her and Carly hopped out to an audience of coppers. Throwing their keys to one of the cops and telling him "The gun's in the glovebox" herself and Carly ran inside flanked with numerous protective police officers. Arriving inside, they both sat down on the sofa at the front desk. Tom and his team arrived quickly soon after, along with the new task force involved in questioning her. She read their badges to get an idea of which person did which task. A Fed representative had been assigned to her, the Force Professional Standards Department and the IPCC had all been called out. Lindsay held Carly close as she exchanged a glance with Tom. It was time.

"Carly." Lindsay said and the girl looked up at her.

"I need you to go with this lady. She wants to talk to you."

"Why?"

"She wants to know about what happened today and yesterday, and also about the last week. I want you to tell her everything. Don't leave anything out."

"Why does it have to be her? Why can't Tom do it?"

"Tom can't do it because he's worked on the case. It needs to be done by another police station so that the information they get is impartial. Tom might be able to sit in with you, he just won't be able to say anything. He'll be there as an appropriate adult and for moral support."

"Where will you be?"

"I will also be getting questioned. They may also want to take your clothing for forensics but that's just procedure. We still have your bag here so you will be able to get changed into your new clothes. Can you do that for me?"

Carly nodded.

"When will I get to see you again?" she asked.

"Soon. Go on." Lindsay said with a smile on her face, trying to hide the tears which threatened to fall. Sad that she had to hide the truth from Carly.

Carly got up from the sofa and waved goodbye to Lindsay following the new detective down the corridor. Tom following close behind Carly.

Lindsay looked up at the other detectives who had arrived to deal with the case.

"Shall we get on with this?" Lindsay asked.

Lindsay got up from the sofa and following the lead detectives outstretched arm she made her way down the corridor, the detectives close on her tail, worried about her future in the force.

Carly took a seat at the table in the interview room and Tom sat right beside her. She looked over at the two other police officers on the other side of the table. She was scared, this felt very formal.

"So, Carly, we've cautioned you and we have taken your clothes for forensics. You are part of our investigation as a witness and will be questioned as such. DCI Mathias is here as your appropriate adult. We just want to ask you questions about your last few days in Wales and about the shooting of Ex-DI Matthew Cottan. We've read this station's investigation into finding you, so why don't we start on the day of the abduction. What happened before the crash?"

"Lindsay, woke me up. We ate breakfast."

"We?"

"Myself, Tom and Lindsay."

"Go on."

"Lindsay had washed my clothes the night before and had packed them into my bag. When I finished breakfast, I took it out to the car. They had been packing when I was eating. Tom locked up the caravan and we got into Lindsay's car. I was in the back. Lindsay was driving."

"When did you leave?"

"Around half ten. We were going to the station to drop Tom off and then a convoy was taking us back to Birmingham. We were only on the road for a few minutes when it happened."

"Are you talking about the crash?"

"Yes." Carly nodded.

"Tell us about that."

"I was in the back on my phone and wasn't paying attention. All I remember is being thrown to the side and looking up to see that we were driving into a tree. I was thrown forward and when I woke up, I still had my seatbelt on but I was slumped forward in between the seats in front."

"You're doing great Carly."

"I heard the door open beside me, my seatbelt was unbuckled and I was picked up and lifted out the car. At first, I thought it might have been Tom but then I kept on being dragged backwards across the road. I tried to get out of the man's grip but he was too strong. I was thrown into the back of a car and held down."

Tears appeared in Carly's eyes at the memory and Tom put a comforting hand on her arm.

"The guy beside me was telling Dot in front to drive but that's when I saw Lindsay on the windscreen. She shouted Dot's name and that was the first time I heard it. Dot reversed the car back; I think it was to try and drive around her but then he just drove straight forward and Lindsay went over the top. I looked back when we left and I saw her on the ground.

"Where were you taken to next?"

"The farm. I was taken to a room upstairs and left alone for a while. The room smelled and it had wooden boards on the window. There wasn't much in the room. A TV, a couple of books, a double bed and a table. They were all old or broken."

"Did anything happen while you were in there?"

"If you mean, did they try anything on, they didn't. They barely even looked at me. I would bang on the door if I needed anything, like food or the toilet. They would open the door to shove a plate or a bucket in but that's all the excitement that happened until Lindsay turned up."

"When was that?"

"The next day. After giving me breakfast they left the house. It was really quiet. I thought about getting out and trying to escape but I didn't know where I was and I was hoping that Lindsay and Tom would find me. When they came back, I could hear shouting downstairs and then footsteps and the door opened and in came Lindsay. She said that she was kidnapped too and that Tom would find out soon and that we would be free, that we would have to just wait a while."

"Tell us about the shooting, Carly. Tell us what happened in detail."

"It was the next morning. Myself and Lindsay were sitting on the bed. They hadn't brought us food yet so I thought when I heard footsteps that they were bringing us it. I was sitting on the side of the bed closest to the door but we were facing away from them. The door opened and Dot came inside, the other man was standing at the door. Dot came over and grabbed me by my wrist and pulled me up off the bed. I screamed at him '**where are you taking me**?' that's when Lindsay got up and screamed '**get your hands off her**' she pushed around me and used her cast to hit Dot on the arm. He let go in pain and she stood in front of me and walked me backwards to create a gap between her and Dot."

"What did Dot do at this point?"

"He was angry. Lindsay told me not to look but I did. He took out a gun from behind him and pointed it at Lindsay. He was going to get to me whatever way possible and if that meant killing Lindsay then he would have done that. He was going to shoot her but then?"

"What?"

Carly was crying heavily now and the woman handed Carly a packet of tissues.

"The gun went off. I was waiting for Lindsay to collapse in front of me but she didn't. I looked around Lindsay again and saw Dot on the ground. He was on his knees and the man behind him had his gun pointed at him. The other man shot Dot first. When I looked at Dot's face, I saw terror and surprise. I don't think that he saw that one coming. Lindsay bent down and picked up the gun that Dot had dropped in the scuffle and shot him. He fell backwards and we watched as the blood poured from him. Lindsay started to look in Dot's pockets. At first, I wondered what for but then later I realised that she had been looking for his car keys."

"What did you do?"

"I went over to the man and asked him why he did it. Why he shot Dot."

"What was his reply?"

"He said 'I do drugs, I do guns. The only thing I don't do is girls. Real men don't hurt little girls and anyway, he was getting too big for his boots. I just did the thing that other people have been wanting to do."

"It was good of you to remember that, thank you."

"That's when Lindsay gave me the keys to the car and told me to go downstairs and get in it and so I did. I waited for her because I can't drive but also, I wasn't leaving her behind. Especially when she had just saved me. She came out a few moments later with a phone and the gun. She started the car and told me to phone the police while she put the gun in the glovebox and we drove to the station. Now I'm here telling you this story."

"I'm glad you've told me this Carly. It was a very tough situation to go through for a girl your age and I'm very proud of you for the actions you took. I now have to go and talk to Lindsay about what happened?"

"When will you be finished? When will I get to see her?" Carly asked.

"It will be a while yet. It could be tomorrow. You should go home with Tom and we will phone when we are finished."

"**NO, I'M NOT LEAVING." **Carly shouted.

The detective was surprised at her sudden outburst.

"Carly, you should really go home and have a sleep. It's been a long day." Tom said.

"**I'M STAYING HERE UNTIL I SEE HER." **

Tom and the detective looked at each other, they both knew that it might not be possible but both of them wanted to help the girl in any way they could.

"Ok, Carly. We can stay. We can wait in the staff room but we have to stay there. These detectives still have to do their job but we're still in the same building, does that make you happier?"

Carly nodded. "It does. Thank you, Tom." Carly and Tom left the room with the detective and both went their separate ways.

Lindsay was shown into a side room on the bottom floor of the police station and in the time that it had taken to do Carly's interview, Lindsay had already been processed. Numerous angles and photos had been taken of her, her clothes were taken and put into separate evidence bags and her hands and wrists swabbed for traces of gunshot residue. She tried hard not to think about the memories that this brought up inside her but she was hellbent on nor returning back to that part of her life. Taking a seat at the desk, alongside her fed rep, who after hearing her story made sure that Lindsay should tell them everything and she would. She was desperate to not let her job slip through her fingers for a second time.

"IPCC investigation of Detective Inspector Lindsay Elizabeth Denton for AC-12. I am Elise Mercia, with me in the room is Julia Barett from the Force Professional Standards Department and Carl Saxe, Police Federation representative. Today's date is the 25h of July, 2015 and the time is now 7:30PM. For the tape Lindsay, you are aware that this interview is being recorded." Elise said.

"Yes, I am." Lindsay replied

"Good, then we'll begin. I would like to start with by asking, you were promoted into the position of Detective Inspector of AC-12 which was previously DI Mathew Cottan's role, is that correct?"

"That is correct."

"And you were promoted into this position after a jury found you not guilty on both counts of conspiracy to commit murder and perverting the course of justice?"

"Yes."

"And after this you were kidnapped by DI Cottan and upon your escape you went to AC-12 with information relating to a list of known paedophiles that was kept in the possession of AFO officer Daniel Waldron, and you came into possession of this list by acquiring it from his email account, is that correct?"

"Yes, it is but I don't know how that relates to this case."

"It is just as a judge of your character Lindsay."

"Well you will know, from reading the case file that Matthew Cottan was a bent officer, who the OCG were using him as a pawn in their sex ring operation where they were pimping out young girls for police officers to sleep with so that they could use it for blackmail."

"And you had an affair with a married officer who was a part of their extortion for blackmail from him. That doesn't seem like you're a good judge of character, does it Lindsay?"

"Yes, I was having an affair with a married man. I may not be a good judge of character but I have morals. Skewed when it came to him but when I found out what he had done, I was disgusted by him. I was and still am I angry at what he did. I dropped him like a stone. I became a police officer to help people and when I saw what they were doing to Carly I wanted to get her out of that place that she was in, that she was stuck in and the place that they had put her into. I will never go back to that man; I am better than that."

"Well I'm glad that you feel that way. Now, that we know your connection to DI Cottan I would like you to tell us about how you came to be at the farm?"

"My abduction?"

"Yes, Lindsay. Tell us about that?"

"Well after being discharged from the hospital. I went to the police station by taxi to see how the investigation was going. I was told by DCI Mathias that they had CCTV footage of the car at a petrol station nearby but after that the car was lost. DCI Mathias feared that I was still too unwell to return to work and wanted me to return home so that he could focus on the investigation. He said that he would drive me home to make sure that I got there but I wanted to be left alone with my thoughts so I said that I would walk across the road and get a taxi. I left the building and upon crossing the road I met DI Matthew Cottan and his accomplice. I told him how stupid he was grabbing me from outside a police station and he made a veiled threat about how it wouldn't matter anyway because I would be dead soon. I was tied up, blindfolded and driven to a farm. I was pulled into the kitchen where they asked me very threateningly what I knew about the case and their car. I told them the information under duress and Dot told me that the next time I left the house would be to go out to the back garden where I would be shot, execution style to the back of the head and buried 6ft under the ground."

The detective looked at Lindsay with a shocked expression on her face and Lindsay sarcastically retorted, "Would you like to know more?"

"Yes, please Lindsay. Do go on." The detective replied.

"I was scared by that comment. I knew that if they would kill me that they might, if they hadn't already, kill Carly. I was lifted and taken upstairs to a room and locked in. It was then that I found out that Carly Kirk was still alive. She asked if we were any closer to finding her and I said that we were trying our best to find out where she was and that they were now going to investigate where I had now disappeared to and that they would be closing in anytime soon. This was partly true but I mostly told her this to quell her increasing worry. We then went to sleep and when we woke up this morning, Dot forced his way into the room and grabbed Carly by her wrist. He was about to take her to god knows where and I was not about to let that happen. Carly shouted at him, I shouted at him and when that didn't work, I forced myself in between the two of them and used my cast to hit Dot on the arm so that he would let Carly go and he did. I made Carly get behind me to keep her safe and when Dot realised that he wasn't going to get to her, he pulled out a gun and pointed it at me. In that moment you have to realise that I feared for my life but more than that I feared for Carly's life. I wasn't going to let Dot and his accomplice escape with her. I saw what they did to a girl who they made out to be her and it was horrendous."

"What happened next Lindsay?"

"Dot was in front of me holding his gun and I heard a gunshot. I closed my eyes tightly and held onto Carly for dear life. When I opened my eyes again and looked down, I saw the blood on my shirt but it wasn't my blood. Dot was in front of me, looking up at me with a look of shock on his face. The gun had dropped from his hands and I feared that if he fell down that he might have had the energy to shoot at me so I picked up the gun and shot at him. He fell backwards onto the floor. I still had the gun in my hands and was still in a room with a girl who needed saving so I held the gun up at Dot's accomplice and told him to drop his, he did. I then searched Dot's pockets for his car keys, it was a chance I took and it paid off. I overheard Carly talking to the man and he said that the reason he killed Dot was because he was becoming trouble and they needed to be rid of him. I gave Carly the keys to the car and told her to go out to it. I went down soon after, after I told the man not to follow us and then I put the gun in the safest place I could find. I got Carly to phone the police while I was driving and drove straight to the police station."

Lindsay took a deep breath and let out a sob.

"And that's it, that's my story. I saved a girl from danger, from a bent cop and might lose my job in the process."

"Well I can't promise you anything Lindsay, I need to go and have a word with my superiors and see how the case is going but for now I have to return you to a cell and will give you the results as soon as I get them."

Lindsay was used to this now, the back and forth of a police investigation. Usually she was on the other side of the table but in recent years this had changed. She was returned to the police cell where she would stay the remainder of the night and into the next morning.

The smell of takeaway wafted around the small staff room. The pizza boxes that had been ordered in were still sitting open on the table alongside Tom's wallet that had been used to order the food. Tom closed the food boxes gently, as to not disturb the young girl who had now fallen fast asleep on the couch. He went over to the bin to empty the rubbish into it and was just about to leave the room when he realised, he couldn't yet. Spotting his jacket over the back of a chair he picked it up and went over to Carly's sleeping body and gently placed it over her body to keep her warm. There was no blanket in sight so he thought that this would be the next best thing. He left the room, closing it quietly so as to not awaken her and went to see how the investigation was coming along.

It was early next morning when Lindsay was awoken from banging on her cell door. The couple of hours she had spent she had spent sleeping were short and not enough to give her a refreshing sleep. Still in the scrubs that she was given yesterday, she shook herself awake and followed the officer from her cell to the same interview room that she was in yesterday. It didn't take long for the other officers on the case to arrive. She wanted to know what was going to happen to her. Elise sat down on the opposite side of the table, a folder in her hands relating to the case. Lindsay took a deep breath.

"Lindsay Elizabeth Denton." Elise started.

"Yes."

"I've had a talk with my fellow officers on the case. Evidence has come to light that shows that you were not at fault for Ex-DI Matthew Cottan's death and so we will not be charging you in relation to his murder. This will however go on your record, the shooting and the reason behind it. You will have to undergo appropriate training before you can return to daily duties. This will be undertaken when you return back to your constabulary but for now this case against you will now cease and you shall return back to AC-12."

Lindsay couldn't believe the stroke of luck she had. She knew that she was in the right to shoot Dot but to actually hear it out of the investigators mouth meant everything to her.

"Are you able to tell me what evidence has come to light?"

The detective wasn't too happy to give away the information but did so anyway.

"The post-mortem report from the coroner states that the bullet which killed him was the execution style gunshot to the back of the head. Your bullet hit his shoulder. The pathologist stated that Dot may have twitched on the way down which you would have taken as him still being alive. Your cause of action was justified Lindsay. You saved a young girl from imminent danger. Copper to copper, I would have done the same thing if I was in your shoes and anyway, Dot's accomplice was caught leaving the scene by police and confessed to everything that he did in a recorded interview so for now Lindsay, you are free and can go back to work. Now do what you came here to do and take that young girl home. For you Lindsay, I hope this is the first and last time that I see you. OK?"

"It is. I will make sure of it." Lindsay stated and stood up from the chair.

"Good. I guess this is goodbye then Lindsay."

The woman also stood up and offered her hand out for Lindsay to shake which she did.

The investigator left the interview room, followed by Lindsay and the other police officers in the room. Tom was standing outside really to greet her.

"How did it go?" Tom asked.

"I'm free." Lindsay smiled, tears in her eyes. "It wasn't my fault."

"Come here." Tom said.

His hands moved in a come-hither movement and Lindsay stepped closer to him. He wrapped his arms around her back and she did the same to him.

"You did well. I'm proud of you." He said.

One hand slowly rubbed up and down her back while he ran the other through her hair. She lifted her head from where it had been placed and smiled at him.

"Where's Carly?" She asked.

"She's still asleep in the staff room. She didn't want to leave without you yesterday and was adamant that she was staying put. We ordered takeaway and she fell asleep on the sofa. Do you want me to go and get her?"

"No, I'll do it. Let her wake up and see my face. How are we getting home? Is the convoy still on standby?"

"It is. They are ready to go when you are. I'll drive you and Carly back in my car, call it a thank you for all you have done for me."

"I'm not sure randomly dropping in you, asking you to help me find a missing girl, getting you to help me in hospital, looking after Carly as I get arrested and nearly lose my job is a good thing but thank you for helping out. It really means a lot."

Lindsay laughed at the statement. About all that the group had to go through to get here but she meant the last part with true sincerity.

"I'm just glad that you are here to see it. Anyway, I'll go and get the convoy ready. You go and have your big reunion."

Tom turned from her and Lindsay did the same. Walking in opposite directions to get to their destination. Lindsay slowly opened the door and creeped in. She didn't know if the girl was awake or still asleep so she didn't want to abruptly wake her. She sat down on the coffee table across from the sofa and on the descent, she accidentally sat down on something. She slightly lifted herself and picked it up to look at the item. Something fell out of the wallet which was now in her hand and she reached down to pick it up to look at it. Picking it up and flicking the item over she noticed it was a photograph of two young girls, twins. She opened up the wallet to put it back in and a business card was staring back at her with the name DCI Tom Mathias. Slipping the photo back into the wallet she wondered if she should ask him about it later, but she made sure to keep a hold of it and give him it back. He would need it for the ride home. Lindsay looked at the sleeping girl in front of her and gave her arm a shake to wake her up from her peaceful sleep. Carly's eyes slowly opened, trying to get used to the sunlight now seeping in.

"Carly. Hello, did you have a nice sleep?"

The young girl got up to a seating position and soon started to recognise the figure in front of her. She jumped forward and pulled the woman into a hug which she happily reciprocated.

"Lindsay, it's you. Is that you done? What did they say?"

"It is. I did the right thing to save you Carly. All of this was really a formality. Dot's accomplice confessed and so now I get to take you home again. This time we will actually get there. I will make sure of it. Nothing is going to stop me."

"And Tom?"

"He's outside getting the car ready..."

The door creaked open and it interrupted Carly and Lindsay's conversation. Mared walked it.

"Sorry, did I interrupt?"

"It's fine. We were just about finished. Carly, go and find Tom for me. I need to speak to Mared for a moment."

"Ok." Carly nodded as she got up from her position and left the room, using the door that Mared had just used, making sure to close it behind her.

"I guess this is goodbye then Lindsay." Mared said putting a teabag into a mug.

"I guess it is but before I go, I want to ask you a question."

"Anything I can do to help."

"I found Tom's wallet and inside it was this."

Lindsay took out the photo of Tom's girls and showed it to Mared.

"It fell out after I dropped it. Are these girls Tom's?"

Mared took the photo in her hands and looked at it. It was exactly what she was expecting.

"Yes, they are. Hannah is the only one living though. The other was killed in a tragic accident, she drowned while swimming. Tom was there but it was too late to save her. Hannah and her mother moved to Canada and left Tom here. Him and his wife are separated now and he is barely able to see Hannah because of it."

"It must be terrible for him. They are twins and the death; it must have an effect on him."

"It does. With you arriving here I see a change in him. A good change, a change for the better. You have had an effect on him Lindsay. He's a lot happier and I feel that you feel the same way about him."

"I do. My choice in men hasn't been the best in the past but Tom is definitely the best choice out of all of them."

"That's good. I know you don't need it, but I give you my blessing. He deserves to be happy and so do you. You seem like the perfect fit."

"I'm glad you feel that way. I do too. I best be going though; I don't want to keep them waiting any longer than they have to."

"Well, if this is the last time that I see you Lindsay then I just want to say that I'm happy for you, now go and get your prince charming and get that girl back to her parents."

"I will. Thank you, Mared for everything you and Sian and Llyod have done for us."

Lindsay took the photo from Mared and stuck it back into Tom's wallet. She left the room leaving Mared behind and went up to join Tom, Carly and the awaiting convoy to take her back to Birmingham. Back home to where it all began.


	13. Chapter 13

Sorry for the wait guys, I needed an extra day to finish it off.

Here it is, we have reached the end of Defying Expectations with a total of 103 pages and 50,000+ words. Sorry it's been a long time coming but I hope you've enjoyed reading it.

It gets a bit T/M rated somewhere in the middle and if you want to find me, I will be hibernating for another 3 years.

Upon arriving in Birmingham, Lindsay led the trio up to the AC-12 officers where they sat down in a meeting room to wait Carly's social worker arriving. Lindsay had called her in the car when they were nearing the office and expected to see her arrive soon after when they did. She was shown up and into the room by Steve. Lindsay and Carly expected Tessa and Bob to be following her, but none of them arrived. Carly and Lindsay were both confused at the situation.

"Where's Carly's parents?" Lindsay asked.

"I'm sorry to say Carly, but Tessa and Bob, they can't make it."

"Why?" Carly asked.

"They've..."

The woman didn't really want to have to explain. Her sentence tapered off; Carly knew exactly why.

"They've fostered someone else, haven't they?"

"Yes, unfortunately for you, they have. You **have** been away a long time, Carly."

Realisation hit Carly and Lindsay could see that the young girl was about to cry.

"So, what does this mean for her?" Lindsay asked.

"She may have to go into a foster home for the time being. It can take a number of hours to find emergency accommodation for her. This is usually reserved for younger children coming straight out of abusive homes. Carly's older and can fend for herself, so she will go into a children's care home."

"No, I won't let this happen."

The woman was shocked and surprised by this defiance.

"The reason why Carly is in this situation in the first place is because your people weren't doing their due diligence to look after her. She was groomed while in your care and you want to let her fend for herself and end up back in that situation. I won't let that happen. She can stay with me. I will look after her."

"I'm sorry DI Denton that won't be possible..."

Lindsay cut the woman off.

"No. It is possible and will be done. Out of all of the people in this room currently I have done the most out of us all to try and find Carly and keep her safe. I have met the people who have groomed her and I will tell you for certain that they are not nice people. So, I will tell you now that I will be the one to keep Carly safe from them. I'm a police officer. I have my PVG and as you said, Carly is 16 and is old enough to make her own decisions."

"Carly, is this what you want? Know that you don't have to say yes."

"Yes, I do. Of course, I do. This is what I want. I want to stay with Lindsay."

"This isn't a yes, Carly. I have to go and talk to my boss about the situation. Her call is final."

The woman was not happy about the situation but left the room to phone her boss. The trio waited in anticipation upon her arrival back into the room.

"My boss has given the go ahead. You will have to give me your details. This is just for tonight and we will be around tomorrow night to conduct checks to make sure that Carly is in a safe environment."

Lindsay smiled.

"That's not a problem. Do you have a pen?"

The woman took a pen out of her bag along with a rehoming questionnaire and passed them to Lindsay. Filling it out with ease and handing it back. The woman looked over the answers and was surprised by the answer to the housing question. She knew that if Carly was to stay with this woman that her physical needs would be met and surpassed. The social worker slipped the paper back into her bag.

"That all looks good. Carly. Here is my business card if you need to phone for whatever reason."

The woman passed the small card to Carly and she took it.

"I will be going. You will get a phone call tomorrow to configure the details. I hope you will have a good night Carly. I will see you tomorrow."

The woman left the room leaving the trio alone.

"I forgot to ask, Carly. Are you allergic to cats?" Lindsay asked.

"No, I'm not." Carly replied.

"That's good. You can meet Bella. We will need to stop on the way home as I don't have anything in the house. Will you be staying Tom? It makes no sense for you to drive all the way back this late." Lindsay said. Praying in her head that he would take up her offer.

"I will, if that's ok with you. I have an extra bag of spare clothes in the car. I'll drive you both home since you don't have your car back yet but you will need to direct me."

"I can do that. My money came through so I got Steve to rent a house for me. It's fully furnished so you won't have to worry about not having anything. I've seen some photos of the house. Apparently, it's very nice. Lots of mod cons."

The trio left the room and went down to Tom's car. He drove them out of town and into a nice part of the suburbs. Turning into a cul-de-sac, they drove until the end. Every house they drove by was bigger and better than the last. Carly looked stunned out the window at the street, she had never seen this part of town before.

Upon arriving at the house, Bella ran to meet her owner who had now returned after what felt like forever to the animal. Lindsay picked her up and cuddled her close.

"Bella, did you miss me?" The cat meowed as if in response to its owner. Lindsay gave the cat a kiss on the head.

"Carly, why don't you go upstairs and choose a bedroom for you to have while me and Tom dish out the takeaway. You can have any room apart from the one at the front of the house as that's mine."

Carly nodded and was soon rushing upstairs to explore the rest of the house. She came down sometime after with her answer. The food and drinks now on the coffee table in the living room.

"What one did you choose?" Lindsay asked.

"The one at the back. Above the garage."

"Good choice. Have a seat. We're about to choose a movie to watch."

Cary took a seat on the other couch, which was nearby from Lindsay and Tom were sitting on one couch beside each other. The movie was played and they all settled into a comfortable atmosphere.

This was until a few hours later when Lindsay was awoken by her body being lightly shook. She opened her eyes and rubbed them. First looking at the closing credits on the TV and then back to Tom.

"Did I fall asleep?" Lindsay asked.

"Yes, you did. You looked like you were enjoying yourself so I didn't want to disturb you. Have a look at this?" Tom said, leaning his head to the side in the direction of Carly.

Lindsay pushed herself up into a seating position to look around Tom's body. She spotted Carly lying on the couch, stretched out, under a duvet, snoring quietly to herself. Lindsay smiled and got up from her seat going over to Carly and gently shook the girl awake.

"Carly, you should go upstairs if you want to sleep. You will be comfier up there in your bed."

Carly groaned at being awoken.

"Take the duvet with you when you go."

Carly got up from her position on the couch and grabbed her duvet through sleep filled eyes. She started to leave the room when Lindsay stopped her.

"I'll see you in the morning." Lindsay placed a gentle kiss on her forehead and the girl started to walk again.

"See you in the morning, Carly." Tom said and Carly groaned in response. Lindsay closed the door behind the young girl and stood in position for a few seconds. Tom could see Lindsay's mind turning over.

"You care about her, don't you?" Tom asked.

Lindsay turned her head to look at him. "Hmm?"

"Lindsay, come here."

Tom tapped the small gap on the seat in front of him, in between his legs and Lindsay walked over to sit down. She faced sideways and Tom lifted the hair from her neck and planted his face there.

"You care about her don't you. I mean, I don't know why I'm asking. It's pretty obvious that you do."  
Lindsay lifted her head to look at him. Tom hadn't asked for her to explain any further but she felt like she needed to but also because she wanted to. She wanted to let go of the feelings that she had been holding in. She wanted to tell him. She wanted to let it all go.

"Growing up, it was only me and my mum. My dad left us for another woman when I was young and my mother was heartbroken and never remarried. He left me and my mum to rely on each other. I adored my mum. She meant everything to me, and still does even though she is gone. We had such a close relationship. Knowing that Carly hasn't had that in her life, hasn't had that bond that you would with a mother. Hasn't had a close relationship with anyone and has had to fend for herself, it makes me sad. I want to give her everything that my mum gave me. I want her to feel that bond with me. I want her to feel loved and cared for, like I did. I haven't had children. The men that I chose, they weren't the best for me and it didn't work out. It means so much for me to have a child to look after, someone to love and to look out for if anything goes wrong. I want to give that love that I have stored up inside me to someone. I want her to feel that for me and I want her to know that I'm here to look after her and keep her safe if anything goes wrong."

Lindsay finished off her speech in tears, the emotions of what she had gone through had gotten to her.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you cry." Tom said.

Lindsay pushed her head into Tom's neck and nuzzled into him. He held her close as she cried into him. Gently stroking up and down her back, calming her down, until the sob's subsided. She lifted her head from his neck to look at him face to face. She could still feel his hands on her lower back. The touch ignited something inside of her. Her gaze fell from his eyes to his mouth and she leaned in, gently touching his lips against her own. They broke apart and she went back in once more, this time more determined than the last. Tom broke away.

"Lindsay, Stop! We don't have to do this you know, not if you don't want to. Is this what you want Lindsay? because I don't want to force you into something you might later on regret."

"I'm fine with this. I want to." Lindsay nodded.

She got up from where she was seated in front of him, pressed her left knee onto the sofa beside him and swung her right leg over him trapping him under her. Straddling him under her on the sofa. Lindsay smiled at him, before she leaned down and took his lips in her own. It got passionate very quickly. Lindsay's hands went to the nape of Tom's neck, pulling him closer to her, while Tom's hands which were resting on the small of her back had slid under her shirt to touch her skin. The pair pulled apart. Hearts raced, breathing heavy as Tom pushed between them and quickly undid her buttons, helping her to get rid of the material from her body, throwing it to the floor when it opened up to him. Tom's mouth soon went to Lindsay's neck. He began kissing and sucking which made Lindsay moan loudly. Lindsay's arousal heightened at his touch. The wetness in her pants increased rapidly. She swallowed deeply. If she didn't do something quickly, she might lose it right here.

"We need to take this upstairs." Lindsay said.

Lindsay got off from where she had been sitting on Tom and stood up. She quickly picked up the fallen shirt from the floor and with the other she grasped Tom's hand and pulled him towards the hallway. When they got there, Tom closed the door behind him. Lindsay was about to ascend the stairs but Tom yanked Lindsay's hand and pulled her back towards him. Their lips met again and Tom placed his hands on the back of Lindsay's thighs and lifted her up, her legs wrapping around his waist. Lindsay squealed at that moment but it was soon silenced when Tom put his lips back on her own. He carried her up the stairs, both of them using the handrail to help lead the way, not wanting to take their eyes off each other. Arriving at the top, they turned right towards Lindsay's bedroom, the opposite direction of Carly's and to the furthest point of the house that they could physically be from her.

Tom carried her down the hallway. Hands gliding across the wall, desperate for something to hold on to as she tried to keep them upright until they got to Lindsay's bedroom door. Tom pushed her hard up against the door and Lindsay groaned at sudden impact. With her hand she reached down and pushed the door handle down, it swung open but Tom kept Lindsay tight in his grasp and didn't let her fall down. He used his foot to close the double door of her bedroom. He walked her across the room to the bed and placed her down on it. They broke apart from each other and Lindsay leaned up to undo the buttons of Tom's shirt, once at the bottom Tom tore the material from his body throwing it behind him, not caring where it landed. Lindsay lifted the thermal top out from the confines of Tom's jeans and he grabbed the bottom of it and lifted it over his head, again throwing it behind his head. He heard the buckle of his belt unclip and looked down at Lindsay who was now working his belt free. She unbuttoned his jeans and let the material drop to the floor. Tom stepped out of it and kicked it behind him. Lindsay placed a hand on Tom's lower back and pulled him closer to her. She planted a kiss on his lower stomach and went progressively further down, edging lower stopping just above the waistband of his boxers. Her right-hand went out and she placed it on the bulge of his boxers, palming through the material. He closed his eyes tightly and took a sharp breath in and tried to compose himself, it took all his energy not to cum beneath her touch.

He opened his eyes and threw an arm out pushing Lindsay back onto the bed. She giggled as she hit the bed. Tom leaned over her figure and took her lips back in his own. Making sure to pull away before it got any more heated. Taking his mouth from hers, he dropped it onto her throat, kissing and sucking leaving no stone unturned before going further and further downwards, stopping just at the top of her work trousers. He unclipped them and placed his fingers over the top taking both the trousers and her pants along with him on his path downwards, placing kisses on her lower body and legs as he went. He dropped the material to the floor and began to kiss his way back up her legs, stopping close by the junction of her thighs. Lindsay moaned at the loss of contact.

"Tom, please." Lindsay pleaded.

She was a wet mess down below. She just needed him to touch her there. She needed him to stop teasing her. Tom knelt down, placing his knees onto the plush carpet below and the kisses resume. Getting closer and closer to his goal. He lifts one of her legs and places it over his shoulder, he uses his other hand to press her hips down onto the bed. He flicks his tongue against her and she jolts off the bed. A sharp burst of energy pulsing through her. Lindsay pulls her hand to her mouth and bites down onto it. He presses his tongue against her again and licks her folds in long, slow strokes and watches as she reacts. Lindsay felt her insides burning up because of his movements. She felt her legs tightly squeeze around his neck, and she was sorry, she truly was, but with the actions that he was doing to her felt inhuman to leave her waiting this long. He brings his fingers up and she can feel them dancing up her skin. Giving her a kiss, he gently pushes a finger in and when she's ready he inserts another. Bringing them back and forward, building up a rhythm that she very much enjoys. She can feel herself now, she's nearly at her peak. Tom's mouth and his fingers bringing her to that point. Twisting and curly inside her at exactly the right pace. She can feel the pressure inside her build. Her moans echoing loudly around the room, it's about to hit when he takes them out. She can feel the emptiness within her now. She bites her lips, trying to regain some kind of composure but she's too far gone for that. She's about to complain to him when she sees him get up from the floor. The next thing she feels is his cock pushing inside her, filling her up, stretching her out. She gasps at the feeling and he stills for a moment, letting them both have time to really enjoy this moment. He starts to pull out of her and then push back in. Slowly at first and then he begins to build up a speed inside her. Their mouths fumbled towards each other and they kissed, tongues meeting as they crashed through the waves. Lindsay's hands clutching Tom tightly, her nails creating marks in his back while Tom pushes his head against Lindsay's shoulder and groans loudly as he spills into her. They collapse against each other and suddenly it's over.

They stay like that for a short while. Sweaty, shaky and clinging to each other through the come down. Their panting breaths slow down before returning to normal. Tom pulls out of Lindsay and she's sad at the loss of contact before realising she should go and clean herself up. Lindsay quickly rushed off to the en-suite before returning to the bed and getting under the covers and curling up beside Tom. Laying in a comfortable silence, her head in the crook of his shoulder, his hands tight around her waist. Her fingers running through his chest hair, absentmindedly making patterns in the hair on his chest. Tom moves under Lindsay trying to get into a comfier position and she gets off of him temporarily to help him out.

"Lindsay?"

Tom asks and Lindsay looks up at him. Tom's face is full of thought. She sits up beside him on the bed and looks down at him. She's worried about what he's going to say.

"You look like you're about to say something important."

"Why were you in prison?"

The question startled her. She wondered how he knew about it. How he had found out her secret. She took in a deep breath, wondering how to explain the circumstances. She thought it best to explain the situation, to counteract anything he had anything he had already been told and she knew that if this was to go any further, if they were to ever have a relationship that she best start with honesty.

"I was on call as duty Inspector at C.I.D In my station. I wasn't supposed to be on call that night. I was covering a shift for someone. I usually did that for the inspectors with families, it's not as if I had one of my own. A call came in, a protected witness cover had been blown and we had to get him into protective custody at a police station. I went out in a convoy with two police constables and we met with him and his handler at this house. On the drive back to the station we were ambushed by two men in motorcycle helmets. I ran off the road and into a ditch where I hit a tree. The car behind me which was carrying the witness wasn't so lucky. They shot into the car and then set it alight. The two in the back came out of the car still burning, their bodies in flames. I was investigated by AC-12 as they thought I had something to do with it. Steve went undercover to try and find out things about me, things that I hadn't told anyone but he crossed the line while doing so. We had sex. He usually crossed boundaries. He shagged a nurse who was a witness to a crime. The reason why I let him was to show what kind of a copper he is and to show how he would use it to discredit the case against me, by having sex with people in vulnerable positions. They found a bag containing £50,000 pounds inside my bedroom and I knew it had to be a plant. I was charged and held in prison without bail. I was found not guilty on both counts of conspiracy to commit murder and perverting the course of justice and was set free. I had to move into this crappy little bedsit for people who were just out of prison, I think Steve must have felt guilty because he asked me to move in with him. It was just until I found my feet, got my compensation from the police and returned back to work. I did return to work and was tasked to find Carly in Wales, the girl who I was tasked with finding before all this happened, when I worked with missing persons after the incident. I also found you while I was at it and now, I have this house for the both of us and a job that I adore. I just hope that this is the start of me getting my life back on track.

"Well, I can tell that you're making a damn good shot at it, Lindsay."

Tom had sat up beside Lindsay to listen to her tell her story. It had gotten to Lindsay again, making her relive the past brought back memories and feelings that she'd rather not relive. Tears were slowly making their way down her cheeks. He lay a hand on her back and pulled her in close to him. He gently placed a kiss on her right shoulder, while his right hand went up to brush her fringe from her and to wipe away her tears. She broke apart to look at him.

"What about you? You have a past too, your girls."

He swallowed deeply and nodded. Lindsay had just unloaded her past to him, he felt like he should do the same. Tell her about the dark secret that he keeps.

"Me and my wife at the time, ex-wife now, we're separated. We took the girls to the beach on holiday. They ran down to the sea when we arrived and I was going to follow them down but before I could reach the sea, they were being swept out by a rogue wave. The lifeguard was alerted and I swam out to save them but I was only able to save Hannah. I brought her back to shore and we watched as the lifeguard carried my baby back to shore lifeless. Paramedics arrived but there was nothing they could do, A part of me died that day. We tried to move on but it was hard, seeing my other daughter alive while I couldn't save her twin sister. I felt like I failed as a parent and then my wife left me and took Hannah with her to Canada and I felt like I had failed at being a husband too."

Tom tried to keep composed as he thought a man should but when it came to it, when it came to bearing his feelings, it brought pain and with the pain came sadness, guilt and anger.

"Look at me, Tom."

He looked up at her with tears blinding his vision.

"It wasn't your fault. You tried your best to save her. There was nothing else you could do."

He collapsed into her and she held onto him tightly. With his head resting on her shoulder, she ran her hand gently through his hair as she whispered comforting words in his ear. His sobs soon slowed down and stopped after a while.

"I'm exhausted." Tom said

He pulled away from her and lay down on the bed. Lindsay lay down beside him. They still sat close to one another, the bottom half of their bodies still touching. They lay together in the dark watching each other. They didn't want this night to end.

"Tom." Lindsay said.

"Yeah?"

"I don't know how to say this."

"What is it that you want to say? You can tell me."

"I've enjoyed my time with you. Truly, I have and I'm wondering if you want to take this further. Get to know each other more. Spend time together. Take this slow and see if it goes anywhere."

"Lindsay, I would love to." Tom said.

Lindsay smiled at his confession and tried to hide her face from view before Tom quickly stopped her by placing his fingers under her chin and lifting his face up so that he could kiss her lips. Things were moving quickly before a scream could be heard in the house. The noise carried down the hallway to Lindsay's bedroom. Lindsay turned her head quickly at the noise.

"Carly." Lindsay said worried.

"Carly, I'm coming." Lindsay shouted back.

Lindsay quickly shot up from the bed and grabbed a pair of pants that she had been wearing earlier, from the floor and put them on. She was about to pick up her shirt and put It on when she realised how much time it would take her. Time that she would desperately need to cover the length of the house.

"Here." Tom said.

He picked up his top off the floor and threw it at her. She caught it and threw it over her head, she left the room, rushing down the hallway to Carly's room. She flicked the light on to see her still in her bed, no intruder was present but the girl was thrashing about in bed. She went over to the girl's side and shook her awake.

"Carly, honey. Wake up."

Carly's eyes opened quickly and she began to throw out her arms in front of her to defend herself. Lindsay caught them on her own and pushed them down.

"Carly, it's me. It's Lindsay. You were having a bad dream. You're ok. You're safe."

Carly's breathing was rapid but slowed when she realised that she was safe in her bed.

"What were you dreaming about?" Lindsay asked.

"Dot. I saw his face. He scared me." Carly said as he started to cry.

Lindsay pulled her close in her arms and tenderly rubbed her back.

"You're ok. You're safe. He's dead, Carly. He won't be able to hurt you anymore."

The door creaked behind them both and Lindsay turned around to see Tom in a pair of grey jogging bottoms that he had produced from his overnight bag. He gave her a small smile and turned away to go back to her bedroom. Carly pulled away from Lindsay and Lindsay gently ran a thumb over the girl's forehead.

"Do you need me to stay?" Lindsay asked.

"No."

"Are you sure?"

Carly nodded.

"Ok. As long as you are sure."

Lindsay got up from where she was sitting on the bed and Carly stretched out making herself comfortable under the covers. She gave Carly a kiss on the forehead and went to leave the room.

"Lindsay?" Carly asked.

"Yeah."

"Can you leave the hallway light on? Please?"

"Of course."

Lindsay leant out of the room and flicked the light switch.

"Do you want me to close your door?"

"No." Carly said.

"I'll be down the hall if you need me. All you have to do is shout and Carly, I love you."

Lindsay blew the girl a kiss and Carly caught it in her hand and smiled at the gesture.

"Night."

Lindsay clicked the light switch and removed herself from the room, going into the hallway and into her own bedroom.

"How is she?" Tom asked, when he saw her return.

"Terrified." Lindsay got under the covers beside him. "She saw Dot's face. Which is enough to terrify anyone. I'm going to need to look into getting her some help."

"And you?"

"I'll need to see psych before I start back work. You don't need to worry about me."

"I do. Of course, I do. I worry about both of you...Come here."

Tom lay his arm out on the pillow and Lindsay curled up beside him. She closed her eyes, feeling safe in his arms, where she stayed until morning.

It was mid-morning when Tom woke up the next day. He stretched his hand over the bed and opened his eyes, the bed was empty. He heard the door of the en-suite click open and watched as Lindsay walked out of it, fully dressed and ready to start the day.

"Hey, you're awake." Lindsay said as she walked across the room to sit beside Tom on the bed.

"And you are ready, what were you going to do? Just leave me here." Tom laughed slightly and gave her a chaste kiss, not meaning anything maliciously from his comment.

"I was going to go downstairs and start breakfast and then bring you breakfast in bed. I was thinking of making a fry up, if that's what you want? Also, here's your t-shirt." Lindsay said holding out the folded material she had in her hands.

Tom used his hand to push the t-shirt back to Lindsay.

"Keep it, it looks good on you. A fry up in bed sounds good, as long as you come up with it. I'm just sad I didn't get to wake up beside your beautiful face this morning."

Tom kissed her mouth, her neck and went downwards before pulling her shirt away from her neck and kissed her collarbone. Lindsay laughed, and kissed his mouth when he came back up.

"Another day. We still have many more days to choose from. I'm going downstairs to start breakfast; you stay here and I'll be up soon."

Lindsay got up from the bed and left the room, giving a quick smile to Tom as she left. Tom settled in under the warm covers. His phone bleeped to show that he had a text message and he picked it up from the bedside table.

_Supt Brian Prosser _

_Don't come in today. I've allocated today off for you after what happened in the last week. Relax and come back in tomorrow, fresh and ready. _

Tom looked at the message and sent a quick _Thanks _back to his boss. Glad that the man was now thinking about his staff's mental health after the death of Mari Davis and the time Tom held a gun to his own head. He placed the phone back on the bedside table and waited for Lindsay to return.

Lindsay was nearly finished cooking breakfast when she heard the door to the kitchen open.

"I thought I told you that I would bring it upstairs."

The person did not reply and Lindsay turned around to see Carly standing there in her pyjamas and not Tom as she expected.

"Oh, Carly. It's you. Are you hungry? I was just about to plate up. Sit down and I'll put it out for you."

The young girl sat down at the table and Lindsay put her breakfast in front of her.

The door opened again and Tom walked in fully dressed in the outfit that he had worn yesterday.

"I was going to bring it up to you."

"I'm sorry, I couldn't wait."

Tom walked up to her and gave her a peck on the cheek before sitting at the table on the opposite side from Carly. Lindsay placed a plate in front of him before plating up her own and sitting beside him. The conversation flowed freely.

"Are you feeling better after last night Carly?" Lindsay asked.

"I am. Thank you."

"That's good. I'm glad."

"What are your plans today?" Tom asked them both.

"I was thinking of taking Carly to the shops. We need to get new phones and get you new clothes for your wardrobe."

"I have today off so I could come with you if you like or I could just drop you off. I don't want to intrude your first girl's day together."

"No, that would be nice. We could go out for dinner as well. Are you ok with that Carly?"

"I am."

"Good, then it's settled. Leave your plate and go and get ready."

Carly got up from the kitchen table and went to do what Lindsay had said. All three left the house soon after. They spent the day together perusing the shopping mall near the house and arrived later that evening. Their hands filled with bags from all the shopping they had done. Tom pulled into the driveway and they got out, placing the bags on the front door step.

"I'm going to have to leave now." Tom said.

"Is it that time already? It's too soon. I don't want you to go" Lindsay replied.

"Carly, stay out of trouble, OK. Look after yourself and Lindsay too."

"I will. I promise." Carly said.

She went over to Tom and gave him a hug goodbye before taking a step back to give Lindsay and Tom space.

"I'm going to miss you, Tom. You have my new number. Remember to text me when you get home, so that I know you're ok."

"I'll make sure that I do, Lindsay."

"I'm going to miss you, Tom." Lindsay said.

"I will too, Lindsay but we can talk on the phone and we can arrange to meet up again soon."

"You promise."

"I promise."

He pulled her into a goodbye hug and they stood there for a while. They pulled apart and kissed before Tom got back in his car. Carly came back to stand at Lindsay's side and Tom rolled the car window down.

"Bye, Lindsay. Bye, Carly."

"Bye, Tom." They both said waving to Tom as he reversed out the driveway, into the street before driving down the street.

Lindsay and Carly stood them for a few seconds after, trying to take it all in. Lindsay rubbing the young girl's arm in a comforting manner.

"Let's go inside."

Lindsay's phone bleeped and she took it out of her pocket.

_Tom _

_Miss you already x _

Lindsay smiled at the text before sending him back one before putting the phone back into her pocket. She picked up the bags which they had left on the doorstep and picked them up, following Carly inside. Wondering when the next time she would see him again. Finally, glad that her life seemed to be on the up.


End file.
